Easing into her while he cupped her cheeks, he spoke. “I love you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Tears filled her eyes. “I love you, Theo, my froggie.”
“Froggie.”
“I kissed my prince.”
“Kiss me again, princess.”
He engulfed her mouth and kissed her, thrusting into her until his pelvis met hers.
She stared at him, her eyes damp. He could see her heart had become wholly his, the restraint had gone. Within seconds, powerful waves washed over him, taking him to the greatest climax of his life while she cried out his name.
Joanie sank down onto his chest, and their heartbeats mingled together into a rushing ride of intimacy. He clung to her, a grin on his face, satisfied that this time he could stay in her arms for a long time.
“I love you. I love you. I love you. I’ve wanted to say that since—”
“Oh, Theo. Sex with you is the most thrilling adventure of my life. We belong together. Henry is a genius.”
He laughed. She knew what her priorities were and that’s what he loved about her.
She lay in his arms for some time. His mind, at last at ease, made him drowsy. He could sleep for days.
Joanie rubbed her fingertips along his chest hairs. “Henry showed me.” Her voice held a smile.
Opening his eyes, he focused on her clear-blue gaze as she propped up on her elbow. “What did Henry show you?”
“Jane and I are, or should I say, were very similar. I’ve changed, though. I didn’t want to die without living with the man I love.”
“But you’re so young.”
“There aren’t any guarantees.”
He stroked her cheek.
“Do you think Henry will lay to rest now?” Love swirled in her eyes, peace shrouding her face.
“Why?”
“I think he needed to match a couple like Jane and Martinus, and we came the closest.”
He lifted her chin and smiled. “How can you be so sure, my cocky tiger?”
She stuck out her tongue, so he ran a finger along her bottom lip which she had puffed out in a pout.
“You care about Henry, don’t you?”
“He doesn’t rest, and he helped us. In fact, he’s probably helped many couples. How can we show our appreciation?”
“We are by being together.”
She pulled away from him. “I need a bath. May I use your bathroom?”
He nodded and yawned. “Use my en suite. Excuse the mess. I started to unpack the chest of drawers to return it as it made me think of you too much.”
Bending, she gave him a good, sweet kiss then covered him with a throw from another chair. She gathered her clothes to take to the bathroom. He closed his eyes, letting the cozy blanket of sleepiness take over.
A shrill yell forced sleep to flee. Bolting upright, Theo rushed to find Joanie standing in his bedroom, still naked and staring at his clothes strewn on the floor with several drawer knobs on the carpet and one in her hand.
“Was it there?” She pointed to the spot where the chest of drawers had been.
He nodded, blinking furiously.
“It’s gone. Maybe it’s at my place. Henry wants us to stay there….”
He stared at the few remains of the dresser, pondering what could have happened then smiled. “Nope. He’s free.”
Tears filled her eyes.
Oh, she’s beautiful. So caring, so woman. “You freed him from his shackles, Joanie.”
“How do you know?”
He shrugged. “A hunch.”
She leapt into his arms and kissed him, pressing against him in feverish passion. He carried her to the bed to make it their playground, not caring that the bath grew cold.
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The Century Sage by Vicki Ballante
Chapter One
Once upon a time….
“If Mom knew….” Alina mumbled. She stood by the rally track, watching the leafy trees and plants sway in a slight breeze while her half-brother, Henk, crouched like a cat ready to strike its prey on the boundary fence.
He turned to her and scowled. “Sis, stop looking at the plants for once and watch the track.”
She smiled grimly at his excitement. One part of her heart pinched with love toward him, and the other tugged on her conscience for being a spectator at such an event. He’d begged her to come spend some time with him, to get out and take a break from work as a tree sage. A sweet gesture, she had to admit.
Just like he had as a kid, he watched in wonder, enamored by anything with horsepower. He pointed. “The race is about to start.”
She perused the frantic activity below while drivers readied themselves for their contest. One of them stood out from the crowd, and her breath hitched as the dark-haired man zipped up his racing suit and tugged on his helmet. Shaking her head, she pushed the inappropriate attraction away.
Nope, a tree sage could never consider any type of romantic entanglement with a rally car racer. Lina had followed in her mother’s footsteps, carrying on the sage traditions—and had rebelled at every turn. Her heritage had trapped her, a snare she couldn’t break free from.
She scanned the vegetation. Everything looked cracked and dry, craving the first spring rains, which hadn’t washed Pretoria with their fresh life just yet. She sent a silent message of strength and healing to the struggling plants.
Was she betraying her very existence by attending a rally racing car event? Used for nothing except pure recreation, the cars gave off exhaust fumes that would settle on the trees and sink into their very stomata, the vicious chemicals altering their health forever. How many trees had she nursed back to health because they’d been near a busy road for years? With pure air and love, trees could live for centuries. She wished more people appreciated the creatures.
Amongst the spectators, Alina spied a mother standing next to her young son in a pram, his arms flailing in protest. Responding to his cries, the mother rubbed his forehead, her face lined with exhaustion. How Alina yearned to belong to the crazy, restless world of other humans. Sure, she might be seventy percent human, but she’d always felt ten percent “in” and ninety percent “out.” Until she was fifteen, she’d felt privileged to have the gift of communicating and healing trees, but after that, she’d hated it. Somehow, hearing the voices of trees and humans made her quite the outcast. She longed to travel the world, to break free of the bonds of her magic, and to enter the nitty-gritty world of true humanity.
Never to be. Her duty remained.
Today offered a temporary diversion. After the race, she would go home to her nursery and keep her plants alive and her customers satisfied.
Peering down at the drivers, a tiny swirl of envy passed through her until she zoned in on the man who’d drawn her attention minutes before. He scanned the crowd. She sucked in a breath, her gaze stuck to him, unable to move despite the fact he would look at her at any second.
A strange feeling cloaked Brad Shelton—an almost imperceptible yearning to scan the crowd. He pulled off his helmet. Could his brother or dad have surprised him and come? They’d shown a mild interest in his activities. Because rally driving wasn’t his full-time career—many people believing it just a hobby—no one took him seriously, even when he had a chance of winning this race and going international.
Nah. Not a single familiar face. Then his gaze caught a woman standing at the back of the crowd right next to a tree. She leaned against the trunk, stroking the bark with her hand. But her strange gesture alone didn’t draw him. The woman stared right at him.
Was she a vision? A ghost? Some strange sight brought on by too much adrenalin?
Her hair, an ash-brown color, contrasted with the luminescent green of her silky dress, sleek and showing every delicious curve of her female body. She held a wistful expression, but he couldn’t make out the details of her features because of t
he distance between them. A primal longing assaulted him, making him jerk back and almost trip over a rock. He had to meet her. When the race ended, he would find her.
What if she’s left by then?
“I’ve gotta go.” He touched his agent on the shoulder. “Won’t be long.”
Don gaped at him. “The race starts in ten minutes.”
“I know.” He shouldn’t get distracted so close to start, but unless he got her number, he would lose the race.
He’d had several serious relationships with women, but at present, he enjoyed his singleness, which gave him the freedom to travel around the country, taking part in rallies whenever he desired. A woman would hold him back.
Yet….
She represented a dream he’d never known he possessed. A fantasy of a beautiful, whimsical female who didn’t belong in the everyday world—an esoteric creature from another plane.
Tucking his helmet under his arm, he made his way toward her. The tree remained his focal point. If he reached it, he would find her close by. She seemed to meld with the raw bush feel of the place as if she didn’t belong with humanity. Who is she?
He rounded the tree and glanced at shiny silken tresses tumbling down her back in gentle waves. Itching to touch her hair, he shuffled away to keep himself from startling the strange woman.
“Hi.”
She spun to face him. “Hi.”
“What’s your name?” His forwardness surprised him. The words tumbled out untamed like her hair and flecked hazel eyes. Her irises, soft and dark, resembled the dappled shadows beneath a tree and seemed to hide depths of wisdom unknown to man.
“Alina. Alina Oakley.” She smiled. “Just call me Lina.”
“I’m Brad Shelton. Rally driver extraordinaire.”
She laughed, her cheeks flushed with life and tiny smile lines creasing the perfect skin framing her eyes. His gaze dipped to the generous cleavage that showed above the modest neckline of her summer dress. Many visions of those curves unclothed flitted through his mind at lightning speed. He moved his helmet in front of himself to hide the sudden discomfort in his pants.
Really, where was his usual adrenalin and focus before a race? Had he lost it somewhere along the trip here? The sport of racing pulsed through his blood. His dad had done karting and his uncle ran a quad biking club. The rawness of rally racing suited him to a T. He loved the feel of the dirt track rocking the car and pushing his skills to the max. He couldn’t slide or falter on a single turn because every movement counted in preventing a roll or disaster. He’d had his fair share of spills, but nothing bad enough to put him off.
“I want to win this race. I’d like your number so I can focus.”
She narrowed her eyes at him then nodded. “I-I can’t, though.”
Her words didn’t match her actions. Uncharacteristic boldness, fueled by burning curiosity and attraction, took him over.
“Please. I’m supposed to be down there. I saw you standing by the tree, and I knew I had to meet you. What if you leave?”
“I won’t go, then.” She stroked the tree like it was her pet cat and not a hard-barked solid mass of plant matter. He could swear a branch bent down at an odd angle to brush her on the head. Surely not.
“You’ll wait for me?”
“If you wish.” Her voice sounded cool, fresh, and vigorous like a mountain stream tripping over rocks.
“Thanks.”
She nodded and turned away.
If she were real, she would’ve swatted him over the head with her tiny handbag. He’d never been so impulsive with a woman before. No doubt he’d made a total arse of himself.
Forcing her out his mind, he made it to his car just in time to prepare his position for the race. His agent, who acted as navigator, too, climbed in next to him, and they checked their safety harnesses, protective bars, and equipment. He started the engine to warm it up and braced himself.
The gun went off, flags waved, and off he roared, full throttle, taking each turn with immense command, feeling the slide as the brakes pushed and pulled the way he wished. Such control, such power—what a rush. Lina remained at the back of his mind, but he felt sure he would see her again. If she did exist.
Don gave orders, shouting at each turn and challenge, and Brad held the wheel with every last ounce of willpower he possessed.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
The Century Sage by Vicki Ballante
Her Real-Life Hero Page 18
