I pulled him tighter, but leaned my head back enough for our lips to meet.
I thought the water works were going to start all over, but Daniel had other plans. Turning off the shower, not grabbing a towel, he led us to the bed. The man had a massive erection, I noted, as he covered me with his body. Slowly he entered me, taking his time while we watched each other's expressions. I arched my back so I could have every luscious inch of him inside me. Still, our eye contact never broke. He thrust himself one last time, making sure he could go no further. He leaned over to take my mouth as we slowly consummated our love.
I wanted it to never end. I wanted to stay here in my safe spot with Daniel, the outside world kept at bay.
As we lay there, trying to regain our breath, he held himself over me on his elbows, our eyes locking once again. "I love you, sweet. You have my heart, and no one else ever will."
"Oh Daniel, I…" I was about to lose it again.
"Shhh. I know, I know. I think, however, we need to shower again and get dressed. I'm sure your mother will be calling soon, if she hasn't already." He leaned up and slowly withdrew from me, still hard. "I told you a long time ago, you soothe me. Now you know how much."
"Thank you, Daniel," I whispered as I swung my legs over the bed and sat next to him for a moment.
"For what? Comforting my bestest gal?"
"You know what I mean. And I suppose I should find my phone and see if she's called."
"Who?"
"My mother, that's who, smart butt."
****
I paced the floor as we waited for seven o'clock to come around. Mother called instructing us to come to their suite at that specific time. I was still nervous as a cat. Daniel poured me a glass of wine in hopes of helping me relax.
Finally, at exactly five minutes till, Daniel walked over to the chair I was sitting in and offered his hand. I hadn't dared sit next to him. My body still wanted his intimate touch and I was well aware my mother did not like to be kept waiting. No, we'd have time later.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, as ready as I'll ever be."
"Remember, I'm with you. If you feel you have to leave, just nod your head and we'll go."
"Thank you."
We took the elevator up two floors to the suite my mother and new step-father shared. Boy, did that sound strange. Step-father and rock ‘n’ roll god, at that - with MY mother, no less. There had to be one interesting story behind that union.
Daniel knocked on the wood door, placing his other hand on my waist. Neither of us said a word, but I was about to jump out of my skin, anxious for someone to answer the door.
A moment later it opened - and there stood my mother, looking much the same as she had the last time I saw her. Her hair still the most gorgeous shade of grey and she looked as though she'd never aged.
She took one look at me, grabbed me by the hand and hugged me. I thought I would smother, she had hold of me so tight. Finally, she let go, her eyes red. "Elizabeth, I can't believe it's really you. Let me have a look at you."
Oh yeah, that's my mother. She did the look over and beckoned Daniel in from the hallway.
"Mother, this is Daniel Kennedy. Daniel, my mother Grace Tudor-MacNicol.”
"It's so nice to meet you, Daniel. Please call me Grace. Why don't you two come and sit down? Peter is finishing up a call with a couple of his grandchildren."
I felt Daniel's hand on the small of my back as he guided me to a sofa, sitting beside me. As I sat, I noticed my mother watching our every move. Then my mouth engaged. "I want to know how you and Peter met, Mother."
"I know. There is so much we have to catch up on. I don't know where to start."
Neither did I, and she wasn't kidding there was a lot to catch up on. I caught Daniel out of the corner of my eye.
"Aunt Lucy has kept me up-to-date on a lot of the family stuff." Foot in mouth. Now I’d gotten poor Aunt Lucy in trouble.
"You've seen Lucy? Where?"
"Um, I ran into her on the street in London one day recently, while I was shopping. She looks marvelous."
"I know she travels a lot. Seems I can never catch her at home when we're in London."
"She said she’s stayed around London pretty much since Dad died.” I lied.
Her attention shifted. "Daniel, could I get you something to drink? Elizabeth? A glass of wine perhaps?"
"Yes, ma'am, wine would be fine," Daniel replied.
"Wine, whatever you have, Mother."
Peter soon joined us. I immediately took a liking to him and quickly noted that he seemed to have a calming effect on my unusually high strung mother—but not enough to deter her from speaking her mind. There were questions to be answered. I knew that; but I had hoped mother would wait to start the grilling until after dinner. Once again, I saw full-on that side of her I remembered and disliked from so long ago.
"Elizabeth, I have to ask—and there is no easy way around it-- why did you disappear like that? One day you were with us in Seattle, the next you were nowhere to be found."
Everyone was staring at me. Daniel couldn't rescue me with his sensual hand, now. I didn't want to hurt my mother's feelings, because I didn't want this first visit to be anything but happy for her; so I tried to be tactful.
"I was young and dumb, Mother. I knew I was every bit as good as Damien, Angus or Amadeus, but no one would listen to me. They all gave me a hard time, put me down– saying that I was just a girl. So, I started applying to performance schools. I was asked to audition for Julliard and was accepted."
"I still can't get over that you were accepted at Julliard."
Ouch, that stung! "I know, hard to believe, huh?"
"Your mother says you played both violin and piano." Peter jumped in, trying to smooth things over. "Amadeus is quite talented on the piano, so I can only imagine how well you play if you were accepted at Julliard."
"Yes, I still play the violin as well as the piano. Daniel went there too, that's where we first met."
"That's right!" Peter exclaimed. "I was reading that Daniel was quite the student extraordinaire while at the conservatory."
I liked Peter. He was okay.
"But I understand you've given it up, all that education, for photography. Is that true Elizabeth?" She spat the words out as though they were poison.
"I haven't given it up, Mother. It just happened that photography was something I was naturally good at. And it paid the bills."
"She is quite good," Daniel added. "She is responsible for all my images for this tour and my new CD." I gazed across the table and noted a proud smile on his face. I flashed him a quick grin.
"Well, speaking of your brothers." Mother changed the subject. My brothers, really? Oh, of course, let's turn the conversation around to them. "They are quite excited about seeing you, Elizabeth, Amadeus especially."
Yeah, right, when pigs fly. He was always my best critic and my worst. He may be my twin, but once we got older and he discovered girls and music, bye-bye sister.
"I don't know how we'll be able to do it this trip, Mother. They're touring, too; and as far as Daniel can tell, we aren't anywhere near the cities where they're playing this time around."
Go ahead make my day and shock me, mother. I know you will.
"True," Peter interjected, "but they're trying to rearrange it so you can all meet in Seattle. Your mother and I will be there as well, of course."
I glanced at Daniel. Please say something.
"We'll be arriving in the Emerald City directly from Portland," Daniel began. "I won't have the leisure of extra time like this. The day after my concert, I will have interviews up until the time we leave."
"I understand, Daniel, if you can't join Elizabeth this time. There will be others." Mother replied.
"Mother, you don't understand. I accompany Daniel to his interviews. Take photos and videos. What you're asking is impossible, I'm afraid."
"Your brothers want to see you, Elizabeth, and are going to great lengths
to make it happen. The least you can do is make time for them."
Count to ten; don't say a word. Keep calm. Oh good, Peter to the rescue.
"Well, why don't we all see what develops before we make plans in stone. Agree, Daniel?"
"Yes, of course. If I know ahead of time when they want to meet Mary, I can see if my schedule can be rearranged."
My knight in shining armor!
As we were riding back down the lift to our suite, I took Daniel's hand.
"Welcome to the family! And thank you for having my back, Daniel."
"I was serious, sweet. I'll rearrange my schedule, because I'll not have you thrown into the lion's den without me by your side."
"And if you can't?"
"Then I guess those brothers of yours are going to find themselves with some extra time off."
Chapter Eight
Two hours. Just two hours were all they were getting this first meeting. Daniel's people had gone above and beyond to rearrange his schedule so he could accompany me. He made it abundantly clear to my family, as had I, that the two of us did this together or not at all.
Pulling up in front of the elegant turn-of-the-century home I'd grown up in, I stoically sat in the SUV and stared at the structure. This was Angus' home now, one of the many changes my family had gone through without me.
I opened the passenger door, not waiting on Daniel or Neil. As I emerged, I felt a chill run through my body. Daniel and I had been over and over this the previous night; but still, I felt uneasy.
Daniel followed, turning back to say something to Neil. Neil had been staying on the tour, a friendly face for Daniel as he toured the country.
"What did you say to him?" I inquired as we stood at the foot of the concrete stairs leading up to the front door.
"I told him to go enjoy himself for the next couple of hours and that we'd call when we were ready to leave."
"And his answer?" I asked, noting the vehicle was still sitting in its place.
"He said not to worry. He's got a book and CD's and he'll wait right here for us."
"We need to do something nice for him after this tour is over. He's gone above and beyond his job description, I'm sure."
"He has and we will," he replied guiding me up the steps. I like how that sounds. We.
"That is, if I'm not consumed by the wolves," I dryly added.
He started to knock on the door when it opened and there stood my sister-in-law, Ashleigh. How she'd put up with Angus for all these years I couldn't even fathom.
"Elizabeth! My God, it really is you!"
"Ashleigh, good to see you, too." We all stood there awkwardly for a second. "Daniel, this is Angus' wife, Ashleigh."
The two acknowledged each other as we walked inside the house and stood in the foyer. No, this was no longer the house in which I grew up. It didn't feel the same.
"Come on, everyone is in the den." She led us through a hallway and into a room I’d always loved. A flood of memories came rushing back. I squeezed Daniel's hand as we entered.
It was awkward. Everyone was standing around. Damien came up and hugged me. My oldest brother. He'd suffered a stroke a few years earlier, side railing his career for a while. It appeared all the grueling hard work and rehabilitation he'd put himself through had paid off.
He had always been quiet. Well, except for on stage; but at home, he was reserved. He was holding back, taking in the whole situation. I introduced him to Daniel. Damien was okay with Daniel, I could tell by his body language.
Angus was next. Still the same old Angus, loud and full of bullshit most of the time. But, one thing about Angus, he was loyal to his family and would move the earth if he had to in order to make sure they were safe. He was acting a bit standoffish; I knew he was keeping a lid on his true self, not wanting to scare Daniel off.
Mother, of course, and Peter, as well, greeted us. Mother seeming quite pleased that her entire brood was once again together, all except Anne, who was living in Australia with her military husband, Ken, who was stationed there.
Standing behind the bar, which had always occupied a far wall, was Amadeus. He hadn't said a word, just watched what was transpiring. Oh yes, Amadeus, let's be melodramatic, as always. A dark haired woman, who had been sitting on one of the bar stools near him, suddenly jumped down and walked over to where Daniel and I were standing. Zara.
"Elizabeth, you look wonderful," she gushed as she hugged me. Looking down, I noticed she was pregnant. Quite pregnant.
"Thanks. I see you two finally got together? Good thing. He needed someone strong."
I glanced toward the bar. "Amadeus? Good to see you, too." There, make the first move. Make him squirm.
Daniel and I sat down. He seemed to be managing the situation quite well and initiated the tone of the conversation. "I'm sorry we can't stay longer today, but my schedule is rather tight."
"That's okay, Daniel," Angus chimed in. "We appreciate you going to the trouble of rearranging things. Next time we'll do it when none of us are touring."
"Perhaps do a family trip, like we did for Christmas?" Mother added.
"That would be nice," Daniel replied, just as Ashleigh reentered the room, bringing us each a large glass of water. He glanced over at me, wanting me to say something.
"Yes, that would be a nice get-away."
In my peripheral, I watched Amadeus shift his weight behind the bar, bending over and leaning against the top, taking it all in. Then he spoke.
"So, Elizabeth, why don't you enlighten us all with what you've been doing all these years? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm quite curious. Julliard? Photography? Never married I take it?"
I squeezed Daniel's hand, letting him know it was good. Just Amadeus being snarky, like old times.
"Well, twin, you seem to have covered it all. But yes, I went to Julliard. I got into photography quite by accident. Oh, and yes, I've never married. Never been serious about anyone, until now."
Amadeus raised his lean muscular body back up. He walked from behind the bar and headed toward the slider. Opening it, he walked outside onto the deck.
"Hey, why don't we all go outside?" Angus suggested. He was trying to make everyone comfortable. "Not too often we get warm weather this early. Sis, you need to see what I've done out here."
We all followed Angus out onto the deck where Amadeus was standing against the side of the house, arms crossed.
Angus began explaining how he'd replaced the original siding with a new type made from concrete. It was supposed to be quite energy efficient.
Amadeus slowly crept over until he was next to Daniel, sizing him up. Daniel, in turn, was attempting to ignore him and stay focused on what Angus was telling us.
Then, my twin had to open his big mouth and ruin it all.
"So, Daniel, tell me…how easy was it to get my sister into your bed? First date, second…"
Without thinking Daniel reacted, sending his fist into what he thought was Amadeus' face. Instead, his hand met the hard exterior of the house with such force, it made everyone standing nearby turn and look. Amadeus had seen it coming and moved just in the nick of time.
I heard Daniel groan as he pulled back his hand, trying to assess the damage. Our eyes met. This was not good. Anyone could see that. Daniel was holding his injured hand with his other. I bolted into action.
"Someone get me a bag of ice. Now!" I gently put my hand on Daniel's shoulder and guided him back into the house, so he could sit down. His face was white. Whether it was from shock, pain or disbelief at what had just happened, I didn't know, nor did I care.
Ashleigh came running into the den, a large plastic bag half filled with ice. She passed it to me and I set it down next to Daniel. "Put your hand in here. This ought to help with the swelling."
He didn't say a word, but his face said it all. "I'm sure it's just bruised, sweet. It should be fine after it's sat here in the ice for a while," he said trying to reassure both me and himself.
Neil strolled
into the room, having come in after being informed of what had just happened. Taking one look at Daniel, he squatted down in front of him to assess the situation.
"What the hell happened, Daniel? I can't leave you alone for a couple of hours without you getting all hot headed on me?" He joked.
"I guess not."
"Come, let me have a look at your hand."
"It's just a bruise. I'll be fine. The ice will help with any swelling." Daniel replied.
"I want to see it, anyway."
Gingerly, Daniel removed his hand from the bag of ice, holding it with his other hand as he did. My eyes froze when I saw it. The swelling was worse and Daniel knew it. He tried to slowly move his fingers, grimacing in pain as he did. "See, just swolen and getting black and blue."
I glanced at Neil, then at Daniel. Time to make a decision. Daniel needed to go to the emergency room and have x-rays made.
"Danny," I began, speaking softly. I never called him Danny except when we were alone together; and I was the only one allowed to use that name. "You need to have your hand x-rayed to make sure nothing is broken."
He winced in pain. "I think that's probably a good idea, sweet. Just to be sure."
"Yeah, let's do that," Neil agreed. "We can make any decisions once we know what we're dealing with."
Daniel nodded. Within minutes, we were assisting him into the SUV, Angus joining us to direct Neil to the hospital. I stared back at my family, most of who were standing around the front door or by the SUV. I found Amadeus smirking at the top of the stairs. I bolted up to him.
"I hope you're proud of yourself. This is your fault!" I hissed as I turned and ran down the two remaining steps and climbed into the backseat next to Daniel, shutting the door behind me. I never looked back at my brother.
We didn't say much on the way to the hospital. Daniel still had his hand immersed in the ice. I felt sure he was secretly hoping the damage was minimal, but knew it wasn't.
They immediately took him back to a room, having been called and informed about the famous patient in route. Angus and Neil went to find a seat for the wait, while I stayed by Daniel's side. A nurse came in to get the usual information and finally gave me a look. "And you are?"
Encore! (Tudor Saga Book 1) Page 8
