She stared down at his hands, so strong and warm, and her worry eased. Lori was right. Having someone to lean on was very tempting.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “I was woolgathering, that’s all.”
He didn’t believe her; she saw that when his brows drew together. “Is Violet ill?”
“No, Luke.” She smiled. “She’s quite well.”
Luke nodded and sat down at the counter. “Good. I thought we could take her out on the little canal boats in a few days. Maybe one afternoon?”
He offered more of the closeness she was beginning to crave. Why not indulge herself this once?
“It is getting warmer,” she allowed. “Yes. She would love that.”
That beguiling grin was on his face again. “And you, lass?”
Brianna laughed, at last dispelling the gloom the dark little man had left behind.
“And me.”
Chapter 14
The afternoon sun glinted off the tiny ripples in the man-made canal; the breeze was calm and the boat was sound. Luke watched the two Pixies as they boarded the little vessel.
An odd boat, it was little more than two bench seats, the back one separated by a large paddle wheel. As Brianna snuggled into the seat beside him, brushing her leg against his, he thought the situation pleasurable. Violet perched on the bench in front of them and the two adults began to pedal the boat to less-than-stellar results.
The boat listed to one side. Luke’s side, of course. Their laughter blended in the bright air, and Luke’s heart once more felt that curious pull. Aye, he could lose himself in these two Pixies; they could become as important to him as his family back home. Again, duty gnawed at him. The gold. Always the gold. The MacDonalds depended on him to satisfy that duty even as another one drew him.
“This is lovely, Luke,” Brianna said.
Her cheeks were pink with exertion and her blue eyes sparkled. He let the pull take him closer to her, ignoring the warning bells in his head, the child at his shoulder.
They kissed, and she tasted as fresh as the air.
Violet giggled and wrapped her skinny arms around both their necks and planted kisses on their cheeks. The craft rocked and pitched and the three of them laughed again.
Luke knew then. A man could bear the added duty. For this.
He pulled back. “Easy there, sprite.”
Violet settled back in the boat, a satisfied glint in her eyes. Brianna blushed deeper, and Luke risked another kiss before bringing his lips to her ear. “You’re lovely when you blush, Pixie.”
* * *
Brianna turned and eyed Luke, feeling the draw of those incredible green eyes. He wanted her, as much as she wanted him. As much as he wanted the gold, though? That, she couldn’t decide. She thought to simply relish the pleasure his attention gave and swatted his arm.
“Careful with that charm, Braunach,” she said.
He grinned and matched his movements to hers, moving the paddleboat slowly up the canal. Brianna leaned back, stretching her legs as she pedaled. This was a day she would remember. The sun and the water. The kisses and the laughter. The ease in passing the time with the man who filled her thoughts nearly every hour.
She glanced over at him and saw that he felt it too, the comfort between them.
Amazing, for his closeness usually aroused her senses in a very different fashion since that tangled night on her couch. She pulled her gaze from his and looked at her sister.
Violet had her eyes closed and her arms stretched over her head. Brianna
belatedly realized Violet should’ve worn a hat, but then again the kiss of the sun would do much to enhance her look of growing health. And her sister was healthier, Brianna knew that in her heart. Soon the gold would be returned to Luke, what meager amount was left from Violet’s final treatments. He would return it to his family in Ireland. Would Luke stay there as well?
“What are you thinking, lass?” he asked.
Brianna faced him, the question in his gaze matching the one in his voice. She couldn’t ask him her own questions. Their ease would end in an instant. She lifted her chin and smiled. “I’m simply enjoying the day, Luke.”
After a moment he smiled broadly. “Aye, Brianna. ‘Tis a lovely day.”
The two of them paddled on, reaching the end of the short waterway in
companionable silence punctuated only by Violet’s exclamations of delight. Brianna
inwardly echoed the child’s sentiments, taking in the bustle all along the canal steps.
People walked along the canal, or stood and drank cups of coffee from umbrella-topped vending carts strategically placed near concrete benches. Brianna sensed the spring fever in the air. And the mortals reveled in the outdoors even if this was a close as they could get to nature in the city.
They managed to turn the boat and returned to where they started almost an hour after they first set out. Luke stepped out of the craft and handed Brianna onto the landing.
Her legs trembled from the unaccustomed exertion, but she resisted the temptation to lean on him. He turned back to the little boat and lifted Violet in his arms.
“Thank you, Luke!” Violet said.
He received another hug and smacking kiss from the child, his booming laugh warming Brianna as much as the sun. He drew the notice of two young women walking by the canal and they stopped and whispered to each other before walking closer.
Brianna saw that the weather affected their dress. Their bellies showed and their shorts were so short she wondered how they managed to sit without their bottoms hanging out. She eyed her own clothes, another pair of jeans topped with a T-shirt, and felt decidedly ordinary. Perhaps it was time to use some of her wages to buy a skirt or dress.
The young women stepped closer, their eyes taking in Luke’s fine form and
handsome face as he twirled Violet in his arms. Brianna saw that Luke paid them no notice, and they soon took themselves further up the walk. She wondered briefly if he’d used his charm here in Indianapolis, to fill his time and his bed. Jealousy struck her hard, and she forced it away. Luke had made her no promises. And she was in no position to ask for any, considering how much she’d asked of him for her sister’s sake.
“Are you hungry, sprite?” he asked.
Violet nodded as Luke set her on her feet. He handed her a bit of money, again she was struck by just how clever he was, and the little girl ran ahead toward a cart selling ice cream. He took Brianna’s hand without hesitation and she let him. Following behind her sister, she felt a connection lacking since she and Violet had come here. Her heart recognized it. Family.
Luke tapped the tip of her nose and she blinked. “I’ve kept you too long in the sun, lass.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t have wanted to miss a moment of today, Luke.”
He nodded his agreement and twisted her ponytail with one finger. “Perhaps when…”
But he said no more on the matter. And Brianna wouldn’t press him to make a promise he couldn’t keep.
“There are some lovely gardens near here,” she said. “I saw an ad. Would you like to explore them?”
He brightened, no doubt longing for the wilderness he left back in Ireland, back in his time. He lifted her hand to his lips and dropped a kiss there.
“Are you up to visiting the gardens, Violet?” he called to the child.
Violet smiled through the smear of chocolate on her lips and nodded. Not far from the canals was the White River State Park, the location of gardens unlike any Brianna had seen in what felt like forever. Formal layouts and whimsical collections drew her notice as well as Violet’s, and the sense of nature awakening caused Brianna’s heart to hope as it hadn’t dared before.
Brianna saw to her great delight that the gardens boasted more than just plants and flowers. Butterflies, as beautiful and delicate as any blooms, flew through the conservatory as they carefully strolled about. More than one landed on Luke, a sure sign
that his charm exte
nded to animals as well as misplaced Pixies. It was incongruous, a strapping man so gentle with the fragile creatures that he held a pretty yellow one out for her inspection. The rippling fountains situated throughout the conservatory sent up a gurgling sound, the hushed tones of the other patrons added to the sense of sacred nature which spoke to the wild reverence in Brianna’s soul. The insect regarded her, its antennae flitting back and forth as she gently stroked its fuzzy body. Large wings brushed up and down in delight and in the next moment it took flight once more.
“You be magic,” he said.
* * *
Luke’s gaze held hers and she brought a hand to his cheek, stroking his skin with the same intent softness she had used on the butterfly. Desire filled him, for her body and her soul. The child was off exploring another corner of the place and he took the opportunity to kiss Brianna as he’d wished to on the boat. True, strangers surrounded them in the quiet space. Even so, he could see none save Brianna.
Her body pressed against his and the contact nearly caused him to groan. He stepped back and grinned down into her flushed face. More than the sun had put that bloom in her cheeks. He took her hand and tugged her in the direction of the little sprite, willing his desire to ease as he focused his attention on the lovely hothouse flowers and fluttering insects instead of the temptress at his side.
When they left the gardens, it was still light out though the day was waning. He joined them in their little house for dinner again. Truth be told, he was loath to end their time together. The child held him nearly as much as her sister, though that woman spoke to more than his sense of honor. And after the three of them ate the paper-wrapped sandwiches Luke had bought on their way back, Brianna settled the child down for bed.
He sat on the couch and resigned himself to leaving one appetite unappeased.
“Violet’s worn out.” Brianna quickly shook her head, dispelling his worry before it could fully form. “Oh, the day was wonderful and she’s happily tired.”
“I’m glad,” he said.
The television showed nothing of interest to him, and the Pixie must’ve shared his opinion for she flicked it off with a wink as she settled beside him.
“I can’t thank you enough for today, Luke.”
He could think of one way, but he vowed to keep himself from her. Their past entanglements aside, today their closeness was more than he’d imagined. Now his body wanted what his heart craved.
“’Twas my pleasure, Brianna. I enjoyed it as much as the little one.”
“And the gardens!” Brianna tucked her legs beneath her and leaned against him.
“I’d heard of them, but I never imagined such beauty hid in this city.”
Luke stroked her hair, willing the other parts of his body to silence as he enjoyed the silken texture beneath his fingers. “You’ve seen little but the coffee shop and that hospital.”
She nodded. They sat in silence, as comfortable as the hours spent before. He began to massage the spot beneath her slender neck and she closed her eyes. Leaning back against his hand, she sighed. Her skin was so soft, her face the picture of pleasure as her full lips curved in an open smile. He kissed her then, deeper than he had dared on the boat or in the greenhouse. And to his delight, she returned it in full measure.
The next instant she was beneath him, her hands stroking his back as she arched toward him. He felt it, passion pounding through him and from her. And he would taste it. He would see her find her pleasure even if it killed him.
Her shirt was scant barrier, as was the silk confection beneath. Her flesh was smoother than the fabric had been, and he gently kneaded her breasts as he kissed her
neck, her throat. Her nipples hardened to pebbles beneath his palms.
“Ah, lass…” He took one rosy nipple in his mouth, and the shattered gasp she gave caused him to swell painfully against his jeans. So soft, so responsive. Her hand clutched at his head, stroking his hair as she wriggled against him. He turned his attentions on her other breast, teasing the damp nipple he’d abandoned with his free hand.
The other hand eased the fasteners on her jeans loose, and within he found her silken drawers damp with desire. He was nearly unmanned in his own jeans.
“Oh!” she cried.
She arched against his fingers and he slid the thin material aside. She was small, and his finger slowly eased its way inside of her. He stroked her and she fisted her hand in her mouth to silence the cries he knew she longed to make. His own echoed in his mind, and he pressed himself against her thigh as his fingers increased their rhythm.
“Luke, please…”
He found it, the tiny nub of desire swollen and begging for his touch. Covering her mouth with his, he pressed and teased and she shattered beneath him, against him.
The lamp nearby flew off its table; the bulb bursting as the room filled with flashes of blue and pink light. He felt her orgasm deep within himself and added his cries to her muffled ones.
Amazingly, he managed to hold on to his control as she softened into the couch.
He kissed her again and eased into a sitting position. His head leaned back and he took in gulping breaths as his body hummed with unspent passion. The amber throbbed in tune with his body, with his heart, the leather lace around his neck as tight as his jeans were at the moment. He risked a glance at the nymph at his side, at the perfect body still displayed only for him, and groaned aloud.
She regained herself as she attempted to cover her remarkable breasts with her
hands. He suddenly wanted those hands on him, on the flesh that longed to feel all of her.
“Ah, God,” he groaned.
Brianna turned and reached for the garment closest to her, her thin T-shirt. Her breasts were still damp, and the fabric clung to the pink peaks.
“Luke, I never knew such passion,” she said.
He took a deep breath and managed a smile. “Nor I, lass.”
She fastened her jeans and sat as far from him as the little couch allowed.
“Did I frighten you?” he asked.
She shot him a glance and gave a shake of her head. “No.” She looked about the room, at the mess their passion had wrought, and sighed. “I was out of control. That…
never happened before.”
He bridged the distance between them and pulled her close. “Sometimes you have to let go of your control, Brianna. And I’ll take care of you when that happens.”
Her lashes momentarily concealed her gaze. “I have your word?”
His throat tightened, words he longed to say lodged securely there. “Aye.”
She looked at him again, this time her fair brows drawn together. “But I’m…
soiled.”
Shame. He heard it clearly and wouldn’t stand for it. Grasping her chin, he lifted her face and looked at her evenly.
“Never.” He saw it then, the future in her blue eyes. His future. “Brianna, I…
What I feel for you, I can’t express.”
She blinked up at him and finally nodded. “I have your word, Luke. That’s
enough for now, I wager.”
* * *
“My word, Pixie?” His eyes were dark. “Aye, and more.”
He didn’t explain. Instead he held her again, peeled her shirt off again and fastened his mouth to hers. She leaned back, relishing his weight against her. He was still hard, and she rubbed against him.
“Ah, Brianna,” he rasped.
“Yes, Luke,” she sighed. She rubbed her hands over his back, his buttocks. “Yes.”
He slid her jeans off her legs and stroked her. Deeper than before, until she longed to have him inside. He shifted and before she could guess what he was going to do his mouth was on her. He murmured to her, his lips humming against her flesh as his tongue flicked over her. She could only hear her racing pulse as he brought her near to climax again. She knew a moment of fear and he sensed it.
“Easy, lass.” He dropped a kiss on her belly. “I’m here with you.”<
br />
She caught his gaze, green fire scorching her, and licked her lips. He lowered his head again and she leaned her head back as tremors shook her. Then he was kissing her, holding her so close she could hardly tell where she ended and he began. He was still aroused, and she wouldn’t let him give without taking anything in return.
She held his face in her hands and smiled up at him. “Let me, Luke.”
He let out a soft moan and began to shake his head. She urged him to lean up on his elbows and she reached between their bodies. The angle made it difficult to unfasten his jeans but in an instant he reached down and released himself. He was so big, so hot against her hand. She held him, stroked him as he closed his eyes and rasped her name.
His big body shook, his head thrown back as she felt him lose himself against her belly.
He opened his eyes and grinned down at her. “All right, lass. You may have your way.”
She felt her cheeks heat, strange as she was naked beneath him and his seed was slick on her skin. Luke said nothing more of feelings or promises and Brianna was
damned if she would ask him for any. His bloody word was all she had at present. That and his passion.
But she couldn’t speak of that. Oh, when his lips and hands had worked their own magic, her world had shattered. And when she returned to herself he was there, holding her and whispering words whose intent if not meaning escaped her fevered mind. She suspected she would keep the memory of his earnest gaze forever.
Setting aside thoughts of promises, she needed to see to something else, to make clear one aspect of her and Violet’s future.
“What are you going to do about the gold, Luke?” she asked.
He blinked, no doubt surprised by her quick turn of subject. The wonderful day past had allowed the two of them to enjoy themselves for a few hours without the gold dangling in the air between them. And as the air now cooled of their passion, she would have the answers that eluded her these past weeks.
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