Wanderlust

by Lacey Weatherford

  Fighting against heavy lids, I smiled, kissing his chest. “Well, I’m impressed.”

  “That means a lot coming from you. While I don’t have your imaginative eye and flare, I poured my heart into creating something you would fall in love with.”

  “And I did. Don’t doubt yourself, Ryder. It wouldn’t be this magnificent if you weren’t an artist. The way you’ve embraced the beauty and essence of everything . . . each one is a masterpiece. You’ve accomplished what many only dream of.” Placing my hand lightly over the center of his chest, I smiled. “You’ve made what you feel, here, tangible.”

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  Currently lying inside the stone castle again, we were in one of the many bedrooms that housed finely crafted décor and furniture. Out of all the beds we’d enjoyed, this was probably my favorite—the reddish black wood carved to produce an intricately designed four-poster bed. Yards of shimmering fabric draped from each corner, giving the illusion that we were royalty.

  It also hadn’t escaped my notice that every shade of blue was represented in the room, Ryder’s tribute to me and the name I bore. It was another reason why I loved him. It was all about the details with him—nothing too small or insignificant that it didn’t warrant his attention.

  And there was no doubt that when it came to me, there was nothing he wouldn’t do to bring a smile to my face. I’d never been cherished so completely, and I didn’t know how I’d ever return the favor.

  “I do have a question, though?” While I didn’t want to move, the slight rumble in my midsection wouldn’t be ignored much longer.

  “Mmm?” Ryder sounded as sleepy as I felt.

  “Is there any food in this gorgeous palace?” Sure enough, my stomach gurgled, again.

  “Your wish is my command, beautiful.” Rising, Ryder didn’t bother covering himself, something for which I was keenly grateful. There was no turning away from modesty as my gaze soaked up the sight of him—no blushing as I openly admired his muscular body. My mouth had tasted every inch of his golden skin. We were beyond shyness, now.

  He was only gone a few minutes before returning with a silver tray, a huge smile on his face. Placing it down beside me, I couldn’t stop laughing at the jar of peanut butter sitting in the center.

  “Peanut butter?” I asked, cocking my eyebrow. After all the things I’d witnessed here in our secret hideaway, this was the last thing I’d expected.

  “Well, while I can pretty much create anything through a hologram, making something sustainable, like food and drink, or things we need to keep our strength up, those are beyond my abilities,” Ryder answered, scooping his finger into the jar and holding it up for me. “So, I had to improvise. I wasn’t sure how long it would take for me to convince you to be with me, so I stockpiled a few things that would last. It was either this, a can of peaches, or chocolate pudding.”

  The randomness of his choices made me snort. “Peaches? Pudding?”

  It was his turn to blush. “Yeah, I had it from that first breakfast we shared in my apartment. I didn’t know you very well then, so I’d grabbed whatever I saw. From what I’d observed, you loved chocolate; and the peaches reminded me how your skin tasted.”

  My eyes widened. He was talking about the lotion I’d used right before our first date—the one that ended with us tangled on the couch together. “Oh, Ryder, I can’t believe you notice things like that.”

  “I’ve been an observer for a long time. I notice everything, sweetheart.”

  Taking hold of his finger, I sucked the peanut butter off. At this rate, we were never going to leave Palacia, both of our bodies reacting to the constant energy transferring between us.

  “Will it always be like this?” I asked, dipping my finger into the jar to offer him some.

  “It can be however you want.” Ryder smiled, enjoying the treat before placing a light kiss over my wrist. “I wasn’t lying earlier. Whatever you wish, I’ll see that it happens.”

  “And you mean that, don’t you?”

  Sincerity filled his features. “I don’t make promises lightly, Skylar. Being with you, forging a bond with you, it’s the most serious thing I’ve ever done.”

  “Any regrets?” The question popped out before I could stop it.

  Ryder frowned. “No. You?”

  “None. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure of anything in my whole life.”

  Taking my hands in his, Ryder rested it over his heart. “For as long as I breathe, which will be forever, this will always beat for you.”

  “You know, when you say things like that, I don’t know how to reply.”

  “That’s okay. I’m sure we can find another way for you to show me how you feel.” A wide grin broke across his face and, paying no attention to where the tray and peanut butter landed, Ryder cleared the top of the bed, pushing me back onto the pillows.

  “I have a pretty good idea, too,” I answered breathlessly, all tiredness gone.

  Even though the real world pressed against my thoughts, reminding me I still had responsibilities, the only thing that mattered was now—this moment—this new round of blissful sensation.

  The rest would just have to wait.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Ryder

  Tracing my finger lightly over Skylar’s back, I couldn’t believe my good fortune. She was pressed into the pillow where she’d dropped to her stomach in exhaustion immediately after our latest love making session. I didn’t blame her. Had I been human, I would’ve expired much earlier than she did.

  But I wasn’t human, and I enjoyed taking her over and over again, in every different position possible. Sharing my energy with her allowed her to keep up with me, and I was happy to note that she was insatiable, craving sex just as much as I did.

  I couldn’t think of one time in my entire existence that I’d been this satisfied. Of course, I’d never lain with a woman for five days straight before, either. Had I known how potent bonding with someone would be, I would’ve searched for it sooner.

  That being said, I was glad I didn’t know. I wanted to experience all this with Skylar. Only with Skylar.

  Stirring slightly, she moaned and I let my warm light seep inside her, hoping to relax any sore or tight muscles from our recent rigorous activity.

  “How are you still awake?” she moaned, cracking open one of her beautiful eyes to stare at me.

  “How can I sleep when there’s a goddess in my bed?”

  She snorted. “I’m hardly a goddess. I’m glad there aren’t any mirrors in this place or I’d probably die of mortification. Thank goodness you thought of putting a bath in this place, at least.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. You’re the very definition of beauty.” My hand drifted higher, exploring the strands of her red hair as memories of our time in the giant pool washing each other flooded my mind. “Your hair is perfect, all tousled as it cascades over your shoulders; and your body is languid, satiated, and literally glowing with my essence inside you. You look like a content, well-loved woman. In all my travels, I’ve never seen a sight more glorious than you. You defy the heavens, Skylar.”

  Her eyes never left me. “If I’m a goddess, then it’s only because I’ve been ravished, for days, by a god.”

  I chuckled. “I’m no god.”

  “You are to me. That’s all that matters.” Snuggling closer, she placed a kiss against my chest, her warm lips causing my body to jump back to life with even that simple touch.

  If it wasn’t for the fact that she had an actual family and a life outside this cocoon we’d made with each other, and knowing that we needed some real food, I’d be totally content to stay here for eternity, simply making love to her every day. She had quickly become my Universe—the only one I wanted to spend time in.

  “Move in with me,” I whispered, placing a kiss on the top of her head. She tilted it, raising her eyes to mine.

  “Are you serious?” she asked, eyes wide, and I laughed.

  “W
ell, technically, you are my wife, now. Isn’t that the Earthly custom—for wives to live with their husbands?”

  Pushing up on her elbows, a panicked expression crossed her features. “Oh no!”

  “What?” I asked, surprised by her alarm. “What’s the matter?”

  “Don’t you understand? My parents are going to freak about this. I got married—sort of—without telling them. Even Chrissy will freak over missing out on being my bridesmaid. We’ve always dreamed about our big weddings and how we would be each other’s bridesmaids. And my dad—he wants to give his daughter away. He’ll be mortified if I just move in with you and say, “Hey. We got married.” What am I going to do?”

  Even though she was panicked, it warmed my heart knowing she was considerate of the feelings of her family.

  “I see a very easy solution to this problem,” I replied, brushing some of her tangles away from her face.

  “What?”

  “Let’s have a wedding. Your family has no idea that we are bonded and frankly, they’d probably flip out if they did know. So, let’s just throw that big wedding for all your family and friends and then nothing about our relationship will seem suspect.”

  Staring at me, her mouth dropped open. “You’d do that for me? Just to make my family happy?”

  Chuckling, I leaned forward, placing a light kiss on the bridge of her nose. “I thought we’d already established that I’m willing to do anything it takes to make you happy.”

  She smiled, her eyes bright. “I’m already happy.”

  “But you’re missing something,” I added. Shifting, I pulled her up so she was sitting on the bed. Scooping her into my arms, I carried her over to one of the great stone arched windows, setting her on the sill. I wished I could capture this picture for her. This would make the perfect painting, her nude figure awash in light, surrounded by the ancient looking stones and flowers of every color in the fields behind her.

  Kneeling in front of her, I took her hand. “Skylar Blue, will you marry me?”

  Grinning even wider, she lifted my hand, kissing it and held it to her chest. “Isn’t this proposal a little late?” she asked, amused.

  “Maybe, but it will be a great proposal story for the rest of your family. You can tell them how I asked you in this gorgeous place and make them all swoon.”

  “And then they will ask where this place was.”

  “Tell them it was in the rotunda of the Palace of Fine arts in San Francisco. That will match this setting close enough. In fact, I’ll get you a ring and give it to you there. That will make it legitimate—no lying involved.”

  “You’re so wonderful,” she said, tears filling her eyes as she wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you.”

  I gratefully embraced her. “You haven’t answered my question, though.”

  Pulling her head back so she could look me in the eye, she laughed. “I’m sorry. Yes, Ryder McKinley, I will happily marry you—again. But I have one stipulation.”

  “Oh, okay.” I chuckled. “What’s that?”

  “I expect a repeat of this honeymoon.”

  Laughing, I hugged her tighter. “That, I can totally do for you.” Capturing her lips with mine, I sank my tongue inside her mouth, tasting her. She was like the richest nectar I’d ever known and I could only imagine things growing stronger between us as time went on.

  Shifting so she could straddle me, I turned and leaned against the wall, relishing the feel of the cool stone at my back and her hot body setting me aflame in the front.

  My fingers moved upward, tangling into her gorgeous hair and holding her head close to mine as I plundered her mouth, allowing my essence to mix with hers. It was such an erotic experience to be so close to someone else and to expose the whole of our beings to one another.

  I thought I’d already experienced pretty much anything the Universe had to offer, but little had I realized there was a whole other one waiting to be explored.

  Breaking away, I stared at her. “I love you, Skylar Blue. Thank you for all you’ve given me. I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  She snorted, looking bewildered. “I haven’t given you anything. I was just thinking how there was nothing I could do to make up for all this wonder you’ve done for me.”

  “You’re wrong. You gave me you. That is everything.” I kissed her mouth, lightly, one more time. “If you want to repay me though, I can think of one thing you can do that I’d love.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Sit back in the window, like you were when I proposed.”

  “Okay.” Climbing to her feet, she did as I asked without hesitation.

  “Stay right there. I’ll only be a moment.” Quickly, I zipped out of the castle, flying through the concealed door of the hologram. Grabbing one of the cameras off my work counter, I hurried back to where Skylar patiently waited, now staring out the window at the fields beyond.

  Perfection. I snapped a picture and the sound made her turn to look at me, smiling, love radiating from her eyes. I took another and then handed her the camera.

  “You want to do something for me? Paint one of these, please. I want this moment captured, forever. It’s been one of the most perfect of my existence.”

  Glancing at the digital screen, she nodded. “I can totally paint this . . . though it might require some different mixing with my oils to try and capture the colors of the all these amazing flowers. There are so many hues here that aren’t quite like what we have on Earth. And they’re so much more luminescent, otherworldly.”

  “Just approach it like you would painting a fantasy image,” I suggested. “As long as you accurately capture the girl in the window, the rest can be subjective. It’s the girl in the image who’s my fantasy.”

  Getting up, she wrapped her arms around me and laid her head against my chest. “And you’re mine,” she whispered. “Thank you for all of this.”

  ***

  “You’re what?” Skylar’s roommate stared at me skeptically.

  “I’m here to get Skylar’s things. She’s moving in with me.”

  “She can’t do that,” Heather said adamantly.

  Amused by her confrontational attitude, I simply stared at her. “Why?”

  “Because she signed a year lease, that’s why!” she snapped back at me.

  “Which is why I have a check paying the rest of her year, in full. I would think you’d find this to be very much to your benefit, since you can now get a new roommate and will be paid double for the same space. It works out great for you, don’t you think?”

  Holding the check out to her, she eyed it suspiciously. “And how do I know you aren’t just some crazy psycho? Skylar hasn’t told me anything.”

  “Well, it wasn’t for lack of trying. Skylar tried to call you several times, earlier today, to warn you that I’d be coming over, but she couldn’t get you to answer. I know she left a voicemail for you.”

  My statement didn’t seem to register any surprise with her, so I was certain that she’d received the message. For whatever reason, she was just being cantankerous.

  “Are you going to take this? Or do you prefer to just let her pay the minimal fee to break the lease agreement?”

  Reaching out, Heather snatched the check from my hand, examining it. “How do I know this is legitimate and won’t bounce?”

  “You have my word. And you know where to find Skylar at school, too. Feel free to go cash it right now, while I start moving things. Skylar is in class for the rest of the evening, but you’re welcome to try to reach her.”

  Grunting, Heather stepped aside, allowing me to enter. “Don’t touch anything that’s mine,” she ordered.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it. If I have a question about something, I’ll ask.”

  Stepping into Skylar’s room, I glanced around, smiling slightly. It hadn’t been that long ago that I was helping her move all her belongings in here; and now, here I was, taking them all out. I hadn’t seen it coming at the time, but I couldn’t be
more thrilled.

  It didn’t take long before I had all of Skylar’s belongings safely relocated to my place, her boxes stacked in organized piles around my living room and bedroom.

  Glancing at the microwave clock, I knew I still had a couple hours before she’d be finished with class. Suddenly, I was inspired to take a little off-planet trip. I should be able to get back before she did.

  Grabbing a pad of paper, I left her quick note.

  Gone to talk to my parents . . . be back soon.

  Love you,

  R

  Taking to the skies, I raced to the portal that would transport me nearer to the Realm. While I wasn’t actually allowed into the Realm, my parents could leave and come to the speaking point where I could converse with them. I wanted to share my happy news with them, but I also wanted to ask them about the future, too. The idea of eventually losing Skylar was more than my heart could bear.

  I knew the rules and the way things worked, but there had to be something else I could do. Maybe they hadn’t told me everything, since it never really applied to me, before.

  Regardless of whatever they said, I was determined to find a way. Even if it meant that I had to become human to do it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Skylar

  Mrs. Ryder McKinley.

  Mrs. Skylar Blue McKinley.

  Chuckling to myself, I stared down at my notepad, only to find I’d spent most of the class period doodling my name instead of taking notes. It was still hard to believe how everything was moving so fast; yet, here I was grinning like a fool, knowing with all my heart that I’d made the right decision.

  I’d barely beaten the instructor into class, sliding into my seat with mere seconds to spare, and Chastity hadn’t stopped staring at me ever since. She could tell something had happened—something momentous—and while I was desperate to share my happy news with someone, I kept quiet.

  I wanted to savor the incredible feeling bubbling inside me a bit longer. Besides, it was only fitting that my family be told first. I knew my father would have reservations, especially since he’d only just accepted the fact that his little girl wasn’t so little anymore. Even though he hadn’t come right out and said it, I knew he approved of Ryder and I was confident that once he had a more time to see how perfect we were together, he’d come around.