“Huh.”
He kissed her mouth. And then a little lower. “You give it some thought.”
“I’ll do that.” After a long time, she murmured. “You know, it just might work.”
“Honey, it always works when you’re around.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Samantha~
She replaced her mouth with her palm, covering the wound her horn had made. “Can you really see?” she asked, wonder overwhelming her doubts.
“I can. I don’t know what you did, sweetheart, but I can see as well or better than before.”
“Truly?”
Rafael shrugged. “Think it’s a fantasy brought on by the excitement of flying with a Pegasus?”
Hope filled her. She laid her head over his heart and listened to its steady beat. No music had ever been lovelier. “Your aura is back to normal – or almost normal. She waved a hand out to one side. How many fingers?”
“Two.”
She laughed for sheer joy. “Yeah.”
“Do you remember the waterfall and the heart-shaped rock pool in Hawaii?” he whispered into her hair.
She had dreamed about it for years. “I do. You made love to me under the waterfall and in the pool. The water was the deepest blue, and warm.” As warm as love.
He scooped her into his arms and stepped into the tub. “Hold that thought.” He turned on the tap. Icy well water doused them both. But nothing could cool the furnace he had set afire inside her.
He lathered her up and rinsed her off under the cold shower. Not making a real attempt to turn it into foreplay. But it didn’t matter. The slide of his soapy hands, the feel of him brushing against her skin in the narrow confines of the tub, the gentle force as he maneuvered her to get the soap off, all combined to intensify her sizzling excitement.
“My turn,” he pushed the bar of soap into her hand.
She hummed to him as she traced his chest, and explored his flat belly, diving into his navel and swooping down to wash his cock.
“Keep that up,” he growled, “And the water will run out.”
Right. She had forgotten it had to be pumped up. She crouched to wash his legs. “Turn around, let me do your back.”
They dried each other, tenderly, clumsily, awkwardly. The tiny bathroom had never been intended for two. And anticipation and need made her all thumbs. She knelt at his feet to dry them. Kissed his tempting cock.
He yanked her upright. “Cut that out or we’ll never get to the bedroom.”
She laughed. “Would that matter?”
His arms crossed over his chest. The wet towel dangled like a rag from one big hand. “Danged straight. This is our real wedding night. This shouldn’t be some hole-in-the-corner bathroom bang.”
He was serious. She gave his equipment a last pat with her towel. “Let me dry your back.”
He turned. The deep creases on either side of his spine made her mouth dry. She blotted water. Dried the finest set of male butt cheeks on the planet. Told him so.
“You been doing a survey or what?” he growled.
“I’ve been a nurse,” she reminded him primly and sprinted out the bathroom door ahead of his roar.
He caught her at the bed. Looked down into her face with those brilliant blue eyes. “Tell me the truth,” he said. “No one could blame you for taking a lover when you thought I was dead, but I have to know.”
“Unicorns only love once,” she said simply. “I wouldn’t make love to a man I didn’t love.”
He nodded once. “I’ve been depressed. You know what that means.”
“Yeah. No women.”
“No men either.”
“Now can we consummate this marriage?” she asked.
He yanked the tightly tucked-in covers down to the foot of the bed with one hand. Picked her up and tossed her into the center of the bed with the other arm. He was straddling her before she could do more than squeal. His hands shaped her breasts, roved over her waist and belly and squeezed her butt.
He nipped the tips of her breasts. Just the barest graze of teeth against stiff flesh. But it made her yelp.
Rafael stopped. He cupped the undersides of both breasts. “I hurt you,” he accused himself.
“Little bit. They’re more sensitive since I had Carmody.”
“Ah. I’ll be careful. Anything else I should know?”
“A hundred things,” she teased. “Can we hurry up here before I explode?”
“I live to serve, my darling. Did I mention I was hungry?”
“You want to stop to eat?” she squeaked.
He chuckled against the sensitive skin of her thighs. Blew on her bush. His hands spread her legs. “I’m hungry enough to eat a horse,” he huffed into her pussy. Feeding her the line of their old joke. Probably the dustiest, longest-running jest in the long history of unicorns.
“Too bad I’m a Pegasus,” she changed the punchline.
He was too busy lapping and nibbling and suckling to answer her. Her song of pleasure was high and loud. They could probably hear her in Mystic Bay, she thought, before all her thoughts slipped away. Her orgasm was more like an explosion. Like living fireworks that went on and on.
She felt his thrust, of course. Her pussy clamped down, the tiny, delicate muscles refusing him entry. And then the spasm of pleasure passed and he was in, sliding home.
They rocked together in time to the waves of her release. Time blurred. Did they dance for minutes, hours or seconds? She didn’t know. She felt the warm gush of his cum at her core.
He sang her name like the sweetest, earthiest of hymns or love songs. She matched him note for note with the triumphal cry of her third or thirtieth orgasm.
“I love you,” they said in unison.
Rafael wrapped her up in his arms and with a last burst of energy twisted them sideways before he fell asleep with her tightly bound to him. She closed her eyes the better to enjoy the aftershocks and the delight of being with him. Sleep claimed her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Tidewater Inn,
Robin~
“I’m sorry, Mayor,” Walter said wearily around a mouthful of eggs and hash browns. “But I don’t see what else I can do.”
Robin filled his coffee cup. And moved the basket of rolls closer. When the sheriff had arrived to speak to her, it was obvious he had been working straight through since he went out to Hyde. Equally obvious that he had not had time for such frills as meals. She let him chew in peace while she thought.
He paused in his shoveling to have another slurp of coffee. That felt like her cue.
“Shouldn’t you call in the state police?” she asked.
Walter’s narrow forehead creased. “Didn’t I say? That’s part of the problem. As soon as I realized it was probably a homicide, I called the state guys in. Had to. I’m not set up to investigate murder. Not here and certainly not over in Hyde Harbor.”
“I don’t understand,” Robin said.
Walter took a bite of toast spread with butter. “The trouble is that the first person on the scene was Eve Sinclair. And she had no satisfactory explanation for why she called 911 before she got to Mrs. Skinner’s house.”
“Eve Sinclair, the clairvoyant?” Robin asked.
“That’s her. She’s practically one of us. Her mom was born on West Haven. I’ve known her all my life.” Walter shrugged.
His uniform was wrinkled and stale. His face bristly. Obviously he had not been home for a wash and shave. Or clean clothes. “She’s the obvious suspect and the state police are going after her hard and furious.”
“I see. Any possibility she did it?”
“Nah. She merely had a vision of an old lady falling down her stairs and called for help.” Walter held out his coffee cup for a refill.
“Didn’t she call in a similar fall last month?” Robin tried to remember that incident.
“Yup. She sure did. Another elderly retiree. If I was Corp. Bosch I’d be looking hard at Eve too. And I can hardly say
to him, yeah, she had foreknowledge, but that’s normal for a psychic.”
“No, you can’t.”
Walter drained his third cup. “So for the foreseeable future, Mayor, I’ll have to be over on Hyde working that case. I’ve got to find another suspect or they’ll pin it on Eve.”
“I suppose you do. You’ll be missed.” Robin permitted herself amusement. “I’ve already had complaints about the traffic. Lester Crumb is up in arms.”
Water frowned more deeply. He shook his head. “Take your eyes off those tourists and they step clean out of line.” He hesitated. “Do you think the council would maybe hire another deputy while I’m busy with this other matter?”
“Maybe. They’ll squawk. But I said from the beginning that we should not just roll the Hyde payment into general revenues. As it is, instead of feeling they have a fund to draw on, the council is going to feel as if we have to dip into our own pockets to solve Hyde’s problems.”
“You know I voted to keep that money separate for that very reason,” Walter said. Back when he was a deputy, Walter Babcock had spent several terms on the town council. He had resigned to run for sheriff.
“I know. As mayor, I can authorize another deputy as an emergency hire. A temporary hire. Finding a good person will be a lot harder. Any suggestions, Sheriff?”
Walter smiled, revealing buck teeth. “Bear Claw Construction has a wolf working for them who was in the military police. Drew Wolfmann. He might be interested. I know he’s been looking for reasons to hang around Mystic Bay once the high school annex is complete.”
“Is that the werewolf who has been hanging around Felicity Sullivan?” Robin asked severely.
“The very one.”
“If you recommend him, I’m sure Mr. Wolfmann will do a good job. But do you think it’s wise to give the job of deputy to a hunter?” Robin asked. “It’ll stir people up.”
“Yup. Way I see it, it’ll give folks something to take their minds off Samantha and Carmody,” Walter’s nose twitched but he didn’t smile.
“This is true. I’ll get Gordon to approach Mr. Wolfmann,” Robin decided. Felicity was Gordon’s great-niece. He could ask Drew Wolfmann what his intentions were at the same time he gave him an employment interview.
Walter shoved his chair away from the table and stood up. He pushed the chair back under the table and rested both hands on it, the picture of an exhausted lawman. “Thank you for feeding me. I’ll head home and catch forty winks before I go back to Hyde. I won’t bother to take a deputy with me this time.”
“Good luck.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Rafael~
He woke rampant. Hungry both for food and for his mate. Samantha was still a delicious weight against his heart. A limp weight. He should wake her. Not to play. But because her friends would be worried about what had become of her. And their daughter would think she had been abandoned. Night pressed against the bedroom windows.
By now Carmody would have gone to sleep wondering where her mom was. If she was anything like his sister’s kids, her cheerful acceptance of her mother’s absence would have turned into indignation and fretfulness. He was a father, it was time he thought like one.
“Samantha?” he whispered.
She nuzzled into his chest but her breathing did not change. She was exhausted. Whereas he felt newborn. Regeneration would do that to a fellow. He scratched absently at the wound over his heart. The skin was already closed. How would they remove the horn? Well, Samantha would know.
He slipped out from under her and wandered into the kitchen. He could make them something to eat. The vat of salad she had brought with her was half gone, but there was plenty for a couple more meals. They had to get back to civilization. But first coffee and food.
He began to whistle. Whether it was his song or the smell of coffee, Samantha appeared damp faced and tousled in one of his T-shirts. As tall as she was, it still hit her mid-thigh. She made him want to return to bed. But he could be strong.
“Hi,” he said.
“I have to go,” she said.
“Yup. Carmody will be worried. It’s nearly 2200 hours. Drink your coffee first.” He handed her a mug.
She sipped. “Thank you.” Checked her cell phone. “Claudia called. Three times.” She hit speed dial.
She listened for a long time without speaking.
“Thanks, I appreciate your good wishes. How’s Carmody?” A pause. “It is pretty late. Did you have any trouble getting her to sleep?” She listened. “First thing in the morning. Thanks again.”
Samantha hung up and spoke to him. “Mom called the Rutherfords and explained that we got married. Claudia called to wish us well. She says Carmody is asleep and she will take her to daycare in the morning. She can stay as long as we like.”
He put their meals on the table. “Be a pity to wake her up tonight. But we ought to get her first thing tomorrow. Does she have to go to daycare?”
“I guess not.” She picked up her fork and toyed with a lettuce leaf.
“She does miss you, you know,” he said.
“And you know this how, D’Angelo?” Her voice was tart, but still warm.
“I have a couple of nieces and a nephew. This ain’t my first rodeo.”
“So you do. I forgot,” she said.
“Am I coming home with you?”
“Of course.” She was utterly flabbergasted by his question.
“Just like that?”
She swallowed hard. “I healed you of your hurts,” she said. “The cure is permanent – so I’m told.”
He drank coffee and inspected her over the rim of his mug. “Just like that?” He snapped the fingers of his free hand.
Her purple eyes flashed. “Not just like that,” she said softly. “But you bear a unicorn’s horn in your heart. No evil can trouble you, no wound kill you, no illness befall.”
“You’re quoting,” he guessed.
“I am.”
“Your dad?”
“The Chronicles of the Unicorns.”
“Huh.” He rubbed the skin over his heart. It felt normal except for being a bit itchy. “I’m supposed to just walk around with a horn in my heart for the rest of my life?”
She shrugged. Her breasts jiggled enticingly. “Don’t fret. I don’t imagine it will show up in X-rays.”
He leaned back in his chair. “But you don’t know?”
“You only get to use your horn once,” she said and stuffed more salad into her mouth. Chewed earnestly.
“Your horn won’t regenerate?”
“It’s not supposed to. The loss is permanent.”
“Oh. Are you okay?”
“A little weak. Turning into a Pegasus took a lot of energy. More than I thought it would.”
“About that. Was that because you broke your horn off in my heart?”
“So The Chronicles say.” She shrugged.
“But you don’t know?”
“Nope.” She chewed determinedly at another mouthful.
He ate his chicken salad and thought. “Will you be a Pegasus from now on?”
“I guess. I’ll have to ask Mom and Dad. It’s not as though we have any first-hand experience with it.”
“Why are you acting weird? Did it hurt you?”
She nodded.
“Sorry. I guess I should thank you for your sacrifice.”
“No thanks are necessary. It was my duty and my honor.”
“Quoting again?”
She nodded.
Duty and honor. Didn’t sound so much like transcendent love to him. Not like a phoenix bond. On the other hand, here he was drinking coffee and talking without Belovitch showing up. Be grateful for small mercies, D’Angelo.
“Thank you,” he said stiffly.
She nodded and ate greens as if they would save her life. He finished his meal and sat back to watch her. She was so beautiful. Even with bedroom hair and no bra she was lovely. He didn’t however recall that luminous quality to her. She w
as surrounded by a faint halo. Like a saint in a Renaissance painting. Or a unicorn in a medieval manuscript.
“Will the glow fade?” he asked eventually.
“Glow?” She blushed. “It always has before. But that’s the beauty of being married. We can always start over.”
He smiled. “Not the afterglow. Your glow. You’re practically incandescent. As you were in the air.”
She rushed into the bedroom. He followed more slowly. She was turning from side to side in front of the mirror. “Good golly,” she said. “It’s like I’m lit from within.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll never be able to leave the island,” she fretted.
He put his arms around her. “Maybe it will fade. It might just be a side effect of becoming a golden flying horse.”
She turned in his arms. “I’m gold?” she yelped.
“Uh huh. Except for your wings. They are multicolored. Kind of like a phoenix’s wings. Iridescent and every shade in the paranormal spectrum.”
“Oh. My. Gosh.” Her purple eyes were wide. “That’s not supposed to happen.” She hesitated. “At least, I don’t think it is.”
He shrugged. “Maybe you were white – are white – to those with normal human vision. I can only tell you what I saw. What I see. But my sight in human seems to be the same as it was before the accident – although that could be my brain playing tricks on me.”
“I wonder what it means?”
“That we are joined heart to heart?” he asked hopefully. He pressed his erection into her. “Maybe you need another transfusion of phoenix grace?”
“Infusion.”
“Whatever. My horn of plenty is at your service.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Mystic Bay,
Two weeks later,
Samantha~
The splashing and chortles of Carmody’s bathtime were clearly audible in the living room. Carmody had taken like a duck to water to having a full-time daddy. Rafael had taken over the bedtime routine. He claimed he had a lot of catching up to do. As nearly as Samantha could make out, this meant that he had always had a burning desire to mop the bathroom floor and hang up his clothes to dry.
In two short weeks they had become a family. Of course, there was the risk that Carmody would be less happy when she discovered that after the coming weekend she was returning to daycare. But there were lots of good reasons why she should return to her friends and her regular routines. Family vacations were great, but kids should play with other kids.
Fated for the Phoenix: A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance (Mystic Bay Book 5) Page 14
