Come Home with Me

by Susan Fox

  His body was the perfect one. She wanted to touch him everywhere. Especially to clasp his now-sizable erection. “I’m listening to your body now,” she said, “and there’s a hard-on that would love some attention.”

  “Very true.” His big hand clasped her hip, holding her down so she couldn’t reach for him. “But if it gets that attention, then the foreplay isn’t going to last long.”

  “You’re not saying I’ll never be able to touch you?” she said with disbelief. Changing to a more seductive tone, she added, “Or suck you?” Her eyes were on his cock, and she noted how it twitched in response to her tease.

  “God, no,” he said fervently. “I’d never say that. Just not now. Right now, think of me as a horny teenager, ready to blow at the slightest provocation. I promise, I really am a grown-up and I can be patient, at least once the first two or three orgasms are out of the way.”

  A wicked notion hit her. He believed in equal relationships. So, in sex, he shouldn’t always be the boss. Pushing against the strength of his hand on her hip, she sat up, twisted her body, and before he knew what had hit him, she fastened her lips around the head of his erection.

  “Jesus, Miranda,” he gasped. “Oh, man, that feels . . .” He tugged on her hair. “Stop it or I won’t last.”

  She raised her head only enough to say, “Don’t want you to,” and then she went to work with her tongue, lips, and hands, getting to know every silky-smooth inch of him, all of it throbbing with need and power. Teasing swirls, firm strokes, pulsing suction, she gave it all to him.

  His fingers remained woven through her hair, but he no longer tried to pull her away. Nor did he guide her action. It was more like he was hanging on for a wild ride.

  Everything she did turned her on, too. Listening to her body, she knew she was selfish enough to want to climax, too, and with him inside her. When she could feel that he was right on the edge, she freed him long enough to demand, “Condom” and stretch out her hand.

  He shifted position to reach for one, and she skimmed off her thong. She sheathed him, careful despite her impatience. Not wanting him to explode before she could come with him.

  And then, her body trembling with arousal, she swung her leg over his hips. She saw his face, the feverish glazed eyes, the burning cheeks. Guessing she must look just as crazed, she held his gaze as she reached down to grasp and hold him as she lowered herself, taking him in.

  Her body rippled, pulsed, and she began to rise and fall, riding him, grinding down against him, angling so that his erection rubbed her clit. He groaned and his hips rose, thrusting hard, and then he was coming and she was, too, explosions rocking her core.

  * * *

  Luke hadn’t felt this good in a very long time. His body was so drained that he might never walk again, but as long as Miranda was here in bed with him, who cared?

  They had been making love in various ways for more than two hours. Probably it was just as well that his mom and Forbes would be back with the boys in not much more than half an hour. If he and Miranda had sex one more time, it might kill him.

  He was flat on his back with her curled against him, her head tucked between his chin and shoulder, her hair a soft tickle against his skin. She wasn’t Candace and yet she fit just right, which was a relief, a blessing, and downright incredible.

  Her scent was rich in his nostrils: sweaty sex intermingled with delicate flowers plus a hint of chocolate. “Have I sold you on black cherry ice cream?” he asked. Part of that long, drawn-out lovemaking had involved him doing his best to persuade her of the merits of his favorite ice cream, topped with chocolate sauce—especially when the treat was spread on assorted body parts. There’d been a lot of giggling, reminding him of when they’d first discussed sex, and how the concept of laughter during lovemaking had seemed foreign to her. He loved giving her experiences that other men hadn’t.

  “I may be coming around. But you know how it is when you’re trying a new food,” she teased. “Sometimes it takes more than once before you get hooked.”

  He chuckled. “That can definitely be arranged.”

  She made a satisfied “mmm” sound, pressed a kiss to his chest, and brought her left arm up across his ribs.

  “That perfume you wear, is it lily of the valley?”

  “Wow. Most guys can’t tell one flower from another. Do you like it?”

  “It grows in Mom’s garden and I’ve always liked it. The smell, and those simple, bell-like white flowers.”

  “It’s not perfume, it’s an oil that Di makes from the real flowers.”

  “It suits you. Feminine but not cloying.” He liked this, the intimacy of lying together and getting to know each other in a new way. Idly he traced the dragon tattoo that covered much of her forearm. “I remember this dragon from school. You must’ve been really young when you got it done.”

  “It was part of my tough girl image,” she said flippantly. But then, a moment later, she went on. “Okay, that’s true. But there’s more to it, something no one else knows but Aaron.”

  Would she trust him with her secret? “I’d like to hear about it,” he said quietly.

  She pulled back a little so she could look at him, and serious blue-gray eyes searched his. Then she glanced down at her arm, drawing his gaze with hers, and turned her arm over to reveal the underside where the tail of the dragon whipped across her wrist. She caught his hand and guided his fingers to stroke over the colored pattern. He felt raised skin in a few places, like scar tissue.

  “I used to cut myself.”

  A breath hissed out of him. “God, Miranda. I’m sorry.” He circled her wrist with his fingers as if somehow he could soothe the old hurt that had driven her to do that.

  “I did it because I needed to feel in control of something, and it made me feel so alive, that silver razor blade, the sharp slash of pain, and my red blood welling up. It was so clean, so simple.”

  That image choked him. “You never . . .”

  “Tried to kill myself? No. The cutting helped, believe it or not. When I was feeling desperately unhappy—depressed, worthless, powerless—it took the edge off the pain. Physical pain and control, they trumped emotional pain and lack of control. At least for a while. Enough to get me through for a bit longer.”

  He’d heard about cutting, of course. Intellectually he could understand what she was saying. But it tore him up to think that she’d gone through that. “But you stopped?” Surely, she had. He’d made an intimate exploration of her lovely body, and noticed only a couple of silvery stretch marks on her abdomen.

  “Aaron caught me. Made me talk about it, and that’s how I figured out why I was doing it. He said there were other ways of feeling strong. Better ones. And he said I was strong already, for having survived our mother, our life. He said I was strong and fierce and smart, like a dragon.” She smiled at Luke. “I got the tattoo so I’d never forget that.”

  He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. But how had a kid who shoplifted in order to eat managed to afford this elaborate tattoo? Tentatively he said, “Tattoos are expensive, aren’t they?”

  “Yeah. The artist was a single dad, and he needed to work some weekends and evenings. I babysat for his two little kids, and he paid me in ink.”

  “Nice.” Reflecting on her story, he said, “I hope Caleb and Brandon will always be there for each other, like you and Aaron. Though I sure hope they never go through the kind of crap you did.”

  “You’ll make sure they don’t. So will their grandparents.” She sighed. “I’m glad the twins have each other. I feel kind of bad about Ariana being an only child. Here on Destiny she now has lots of . . .” She paused, gave a gentle smile, and went on. “Of family who’ll be there for her, but it’s not the same as a sibling bond. And if we did go back to Vancouver. . .”

  “You said ‘if.’” He was convinced she would stay, and encouraged that she seemed to be more open to that possibility.

  “All right, maybe the island
is my destiny.” Mischief twinkled in her eyes as she emphasized the last word. “I confess I’m getting won over. By the island. Eden’s family. Glory and Gala.”

  “Obviously, I’m not trying hard enough,” he teased back.

  “If you tried any harder, I wouldn’t be able to walk.”

  Smiling, he felt entirely content. If things worked out with him and Miranda the way he thought they might, one day down the road her little girl would have two big brothers. And with any luck, he and Miranda would add a fourth kid to the mix. Right now, anything seemed possible.

  Except for lying here any longer. “I hate to say this, but we need to get up and dressed.”

  “And showered.” She grinned. “Eau de sex smells good to me, but probably not so much to your mom and Forbes.”

  “Good point.” He forced his drained body over to the side of the bed, sat up, and ran his hand through his hair. “It’ll have to be a quick shower.”

  “No time for shower sex.” She gave him a pouty, teasing look as she climbed out of bed.

  As they walked on wobbly legs to the bathroom, he remembered something he’d meant to ask. “By the way, did you end up telling Eden and the others about the information Annie dug up on Starshine, and her theories about Merlin?”

  Miranda stumbled, suggesting that her legs were even shakier than his, and he caught her arm to steady her.

  “I just realized,” she said, “that my shirt and skirt are lying on the hall floor. I should go down and get them, in case your family gets home early.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “No, that’s okay. But do you think you could find a shower cap? I’d like to keep my hair dry.”

  “I’ll look.”

  She scooted out of the bedroom, obviously recovering her strength, and he went into the bathroom and rummaged in the bottom of the cabinet under the sink. He’d kept some of Candace’s odds and ends, and found a package labeled “Shower Cap.”

  When Miranda returned, she took it with an “Oh, good.” Opening it, she said, “These things are ugly. Promise not to look,” and then she piled her hair up and tucked it inside the cap.

  “Nope. Cute.” It was true. “You were going to tell me about the commune thing,” he reminded her.

  “Oh. Right. Yes, Di and Seal were happy to hear that Starshine seems to be okay,” she said as she reached behind the shower curtain to turn on the water. “And not surprised Merlin had disappeared completely. They said he was a man of mystery, and smart. It would be like him to assume a new identity somewhere else, an identity that even Annie couldn’t trace.” She adjusted the temperature and stepped into the shower.

  “So Di and Seal don’t think he died at the commune, and was cremated or buried there?” he asked as he followed her.

  “It’s one theory.” Her face was tilted up to the shower spray and her words came out muffled. “But it would have been really hard to cover up something like that.”

  “I guess.”

  Her back was wet and sleek, graceful and feminine. He’d thought he was physically incapable of arousal again so soon, but the curves of her hips and butt were a powerful motivator. Stepping up behind her, he put his arms around her and caressed her breasts. “A quick shower, eh? I can be quick.”

  She turned to him, smiling. “With you, so can I.”

  He wrapped his arms around her wet body and kissed her. Then he remembered. “Damn, the condoms are by the bed.”

  With drops dewing her lashes, she gazed at him. “I’m on birth control. And I’m clean, Luke. I always used condoms.”

  It would take only a few seconds to jump out of the shower and drip his way across the bedroom, but he trusted Miranda. And he hated condoms, hated having a barrier between their naked bodies. “That is really good news.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Back in early December, when Aaron and Eden had announced their engagement, Miranda had felt a sense of loss. But on this sunny April afternoon, as wedding guests assembled at SkySong on a stretch of lawn above the ocean, her heart was full to bursting with joy.

  For months, Aaron, Eden, and Eden’s relatives had been telling her—showing her—in a variety of ways that she wasn’t losing a brother but gaining a family. Her stubborn brain and hard-shelled heart had finally come to believe it. And every single member of that family, from Eden’s impulsive younger sister, Kelsey, through to her “aging hippie” aunt and uncle, was fabulous. That had been demonstrated, yet again, as they’d worked together today to make the last-minute preparations for the wedding.

  Now the retreat’s guests had been politely warned to keep their distance, everything was set up for the ceremony, and the wedding guests were arriving.

  Harp music drifted gently through the air, played by a friend of Di and Seal’s. Folding chairs faced a trellised arch, and the grassy aisle was strewn with white and pale pink hawthorn blossoms. White tents had been set up as a precaution against rain, but now it seemed they wouldn’t be needed, except for the catering tent. Celia and Rachelle of C-Shell were handling the food. B-B-Zee would provide music for the reception, and a portable dance floor was set up.

  “You’re a beautiful bridesmaid,” Luke said, squeezing her hand as they walked among lilacs and hawthorns that filled the air with their sweet scent, over to the rows of folding chairs. His fingers had been intertwined with hers ever since she’d met him in the parking lot at SkySong, where they’d shared a long kiss.

  “Thank you,” she said. In Vancouver, she, Eden, and Kelsey had easily agreed on the bridesmaids’ outfits. The cornflower-colored sundresses were comfortable, and flattering to her and Kelsey’s blue eyes. The short length, paired with the nude color of their strappy sandals, made their bare legs look long and shapely despite the fact that the sandals were flat-soled. Di had pointed out that you couldn’t look graceful walking across grass in high-heeled shoes.

  The sun was warm enough that the women of the bridal party shouldn’t even need the blue-and-gold pashminas they’d bought. Miranda’s dragon was on full display and she wore it proudly. Yes, she was strong and smart, and could be fierce when she needed to—but these days she was feeling mellow.

  “I’m a happy bridesmaid, too,” she told Luke. Happy about not only the wedding, but everything else in her life. Even the bunny story had turned out well, and she loved watching the video she’d shot on her phone: Luke opening the cage and that little guy poking out, sniffing the air, and then without a backward look hopping off into the trees.

  She smiled up at Luke. He was the sexiest, most amazing man she’d ever met, and he looked wonderful this afternoon, in khaki-colored dress pants, a cream-colored cotton shirt with the collar open and the sleeves rolled up, and brown loafers. Aaron, who hated suits and ties, said he had no intention of being uncomfortable on the happiest day of his life, and Eden had told him he could wear whatever he pleased as long as she could do the same. Their wedding invitation had specified a “be comfortable” dress code.

  Other wedding guests drifted by, and Luke said hello to them. Miranda added her own greetings to those she recognized. After a few months working in tiny Blue Moon Harbor on tiny Destiny Island, she’d met a lot of the residents.

  “Do you miss Ariana?” Luke asked.

  “Yes, but it’s nice not to have to worry about her throwing a TTT.” Miranda had talked to Aaron and Eden about whether the girl should attend. They’d all had mixed feelings, but in the end decided it would be better to have a serene wedding. Ariana was spending the day with her BFF Gala, first at Glory’s house and then, since Glory and Brent were attending the wedding, at Glory’s parents. Miranda had met the McKennas, a friendly, generous couple who, being big-boned and fair-skinned, looked completely unlike their petite Chinese daughter.

  Glory and Brent hadn’t arrived yet, but when Miranda glanced in the direction of the parking lot, she noticed Iris Yakimura approaching, slim and quietly elegant in a lilac sheath dress with another of her aunt’s multicolored silk scarves tied a
round her neck. The two of them had gotten together for coffee a couple of times, and were becoming friends. Smiling, Miranda beckoned her over and they were all saying hi when a woman she didn’t recognize rushed up to them.

  A few years older than her, the brunette had big hair and a way-too-tight pink dress with a low neckline that showcased impressive cleavage. She caught Luke’s elbow. “Luke, I’m so glad to see you. I think there’s something wrong with that dog food you recommended. Candy just picks at it.”

  “Excuse me a minute,” Luke said, releasing Miranda’s hand and stepping away from her and Iris. Miranda heard him suggest, politely but firmly, that if the woman was still feeding scraps and treats to Candy, it was no wonder the dog wasn’t interested in the diet that was intended to bring her down to a healthy weight.

  Miranda and Iris exchanged smiles. “Such a happy day,” Iris said, yet a shadow clouded her lovely brown eyes.

  “You’re here alone?”

  The corners of her lips turned down. “That’s the story of my life.” Then she shook her head. “A pity party. How humiliating and entirely inappropriate. Truly, I’m thrilled for Eden and Aaron, and I’m sure my turn will come one day. And Miranda, I’m so happy for you, too.” She glanced at Luke, who was still deep in discussion with the big-haired brunette, and lowered her voice. “You found a Prince Charming who won’t turn into a frog.”

  “I’m happy for me, too.” Luke was indeed a winner. Handsome and sexy, smart and successful, compassionate and gentle. Fantastic in bed. As wonderful with kids as he was with animals. “I feel so lucky. His boys and even his parents and in-laws seem to be coming to accept me.” She’d been to family dinners a couple more times and, courtesy of Annie’s bluntness, everyone now knew that she and Luke were sleeping together. The grandparents had even helped give them evenings alone together, babysitting the boys and sometimes even taking Ariana. Sonia and Annie insisted that they loved being able to play with a girl, and she sensed they were both missing Candace. After all, even though Annie’d been her mom, Candace had spent a lot of time at Luke’s house, too, since they’d been best friends for so long.