He took the soap in his hands again, lathered them up, and set it down, the look in his eyes when they met hers making it hard to breathe. “Turn around,” he ordered, and she obeyed, the throbbing deep inside her becoming stronger.
He washed her back, then slid his hands lower, over her buttocks and down her legs, then slipping them between her legs as he worked his way back up. When he grabbed her hips and turned her around in the tub, she nearly fell back into the water, but he held her steady until she could stand on her own.
This time, when his soapy hands made their way down her body and between her legs, she spread them for him, her body throbbing and desperate for his touch. One finger slid between her folds and across her swollen nib and the pleasure that followed nearly buckled her legs, but she reached out and grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. Another rub of his finger filled her with such pleasure that she dug her nails into his skin, little mewing cries escaping her parted lips.
Then the world around her seemed to dissolve, and all she knew was the pleasure vibrating inside her, growing more intense with each stroke of his finger until she tumbled over the edge. Clinging to him, her body still spasming, she felt him lift her out of the tub and carry her across the room, grabbing a towel as he passed them.
He set her gently on her feet, then began to rub her with the fluffy towel, gently drying the water from her skin before drying himself. When he pulled her into his arms, her body was still throbbing, and she was aware of a need for a deeper kind of release building inside her. When they tumbled onto the bed, his mouth on hers, his tongue exploring and demanding, the throbbing deep inside her returned.
Sliding between her legs without breaking the kiss, he rested his throbbing erection between her folds, making her gasp, and spread her legs. He kissed her until they were both breathless and she was squirming under him, then came up on his knees and grabbed her hips. When he slowly slid into her, she gasped, opened her legs farther for him, and raised her hips as a feeling like nothing she’d ever known took over.
He filled her slowly, letting her adjust to him little by little, but she was becoming impatient, her body crying out for more, so she lifted her hips to him. She cried out when he filled her fully then in one powerful thrust of his hips, and pleasure washed over her in waves that threatened to consume her. With each thrust of his hips, he drove them both closer and closer to the edge, his body responding to the pleasure he’d created in hers.
When they both finally tumbled over the edge, Lynette’s nails digging into his shoulders, she felt like she was going to fly away, like there was nothing holding her to the Earth. Derek collapsed on top of her, his body still vibrating with pleasure, still deeply buried inside her, and at that moment, she knew that there would never be another man for her.
She’d finally found the man who could bring her both pleasure and love, and she wasn’t going to give him up. Nothing in the world was more important than the two of them and what they shared. Tears filled her eyes when she thought about what she’d almost missed, and she promised herself that no matter what it took, they’d be together forever.
When he rolled off of her, she felt his loss and whimpered, but he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly in his arms. She snuggled up against his side, loving the feeling of his warm skin against hers, listening to steady beat of his heart, and wished they never had to leave the mill.
“I wish we could just stay here forever,” she said, looking up at him. “Why didn’t we do that sooner?”
Derek laughed. “Well, first of all, that was never supposed to happen,” he said. “But since I can’t resist you, it’s a miracle it didn’t happen sooner.”
“And what is second?” she asked, running her hand up and down his chest.
He closed his eyes. “Hmmm, I forgot,” he mumbled. Then turned onto his side and stroked her face with his thumb. “Now I remember. Secondly, as much as I’d love to stay here forever, we do have to get back. I have a feeling your dad isn’t going to be very happy with me.”
“Well, then since we’re already in trouble, maybe we should make the most of the time we have left,” she said, surprising herself by reaching under the covers and taking him into her hand.
Derek’s eyes got big, then filled with pleasure. “I think that sounds like the best idea you’ve ever had,” he said, trailing his hand down her chest and between her legs. “I’ve barely begun to show you what pleasure really is.”
Chapter Thirteen
***Derek***
The sound of birds chirping announced the coming of the new day and with it, the beginning of their life together. But when they woke still tangled in the sheets, Derek and Lynette resisted getting out of bed, knowing that once they did, the spell would be broken, and the real world would intrude. For Derek, the specter of Lynette’s father haunted him the most, and he dreaded having to explain to the man that he’d fallen in love with his daughter and she with him.
He knew that Lynette was thinking the same thing, but neither spoke of it as they snuggled in the soft layers of blankets, both unwilling to put a voice to what they were feeling. Derek had decided sometime deep in the night that he didn’t care where he lived as long as it was with Lynette, and Serendipity wasn’t a bad place to call home. It would take some getting used to, but in time, he’d learn to love it he was sure.
As they quietly made breakfast and prepared for the trip home, he wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay, but he wasn’t even sure of that himself. “What happens to all this when we’re gone?” he asked, looking around the comfy little home Lynette had created, wishing it could always be there for them.
“It will just fade away when we leave,” she said, a look of sadness on her face.
He crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “It will always be in our memories,” he said, understanding what she was feeling.
“I wish we could just stay here,” she said, putting her head on his chest.
“Me too, but we have people at home counting on us,” he said, pulling back and looking down at her. “I know you’re scared, I am too, but they’ll all understand.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said, laying her head back on his chest.
When they finally rode away, even in the sunlight, two shadowy figures could be seen standing in the doorway of the mill. Behind them, one by one, each piece of furniture began to disappear until all that was left was a vase of flowers sitting in the center of the room. Decades later, the flowers would still be sitting there, as alive as the morning they were left behind, fueling rumors that the old mill was a place for lovers, even though the legend of Jess and Lisa had long been forgotten.
As they rode into the valley, Derek felt his heart rate beginning to rise, and butterflies seemed to have taken up residence in his stomach. Now, he understood that going with Lynette had not been one of his smartest decisions, that he should have handled his attraction to her differently. But he wouldn’t change anything, not even the bear attack, which had shown him so much about himself and what it meant to be a shifter.
When they rode into the barnyard, Thomas was waiting for them, hands on his hips, a scowl on his face, and Derek knew that they were in trouble. Suddenly tongue-tied, all the things he’d planned to say to Lynette’s father vanished from his brain, and all he could do was stare at the man.
“I hope you have a good explanation for your behavior, young lady,” he said to Lynette when they got close enough. “When I said you should take someone with you, I meant Steven or one of the other hands. I never dreamed you’d go off into the mountains with a total stranger.”
Lynette opened her mouth, but Thomas held up his hand. “I don’t want to hear a word from you; go take care of that horse, and then I want you to head straight home,” he said, turning his attention to Derek. “You have some explaining to do.”
Derek jumped down from his horse and approached Thomas. “Sir, I’m sorry we didn’t make it back on time, but I’m a
fraid we ran into some problems,” he said. “It was nothing we couldn’t handle, but it did delay us for a night.”
Thomas narrowed his eyes at him. “If you think I’m going to stand here and listen to you explain why you thought it was okay to take my daughter into the mountains alone, you’d better think again,” he said, then took a deep breath. “I’m too angry to talk to you right now. I’m afraid I’ll do something I’ll be sorry for later.”
Derek watched him stomp away, his heart sinking, all hopes of Lynette’s father understanding vanishing. But he wasn’t going to give up; Lynette meant too much to him. He’d give him some time to cool down, and then hopefully the man would listen to reason. If not, well, he wasn’t sure where that left him, but he wasn’t giving up, not when it felt like his whole life rested on making the man understand that he loved his daughter.
Turning to go back into the barn, he was pleased to see Gus and Sam coming down the road. At least they’d be happy to see him. When Sam saw him, he started running toward him, then threw himself into his arms. “You’re finally home,” he said, looking at Derek. “You look different.”
He smiled down at his son. “Well, I guess I am a little bit different,” he said. “That happens when you get attacked by a bear.”
Sam gasped. “No way,” he said. “You got attacked by a bear?”
Gus walked up then. “I hope the bear looks worse than you do,” he said.
“He’s not breathing anymore,” Derek said, grinning at Gus.
They helped him put away the gear and take care of the horses while he told them about his great adventure, leaving out several parts that weren’t for little ears. As they walked home, Sam ran out in front of them, leaving him alone with Gus, who wouldn’t stop staring at Derek.
“What?” he finally asked.
“Seems to me that you might have left something out,” Gus said. “Now, I don’t want any details, mind you, but I sense there’s a little more to the story.”
***Lynette***
Lynette paced back and forth across her room. It had been hours since she’d come home, and she was tired of waiting for her father to come get her. She could understand why he might be mad at her, but she was sick of being treated like a child. She was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions, yet she was waiting like a child for her punishment.
She desperately wanted to know what he’d said to Derek, could just imagine how the conversation had gone, and it made her wince. Sick of waiting, she left her room and headed down the stairs, the temptation to go right out the front door when she reached it almost more than she could resist. But that would be childish, and she wanted to be treated like an adult, so she headed for her father’s study instead.
He was sitting at his desk reading the paper just like it was any other day, and she felt her anger begin to bubble to life, but she tamped it down and knocked on the open door. When her father saw her, he set down the paper and scowled at her, then picked it up again.
“I thought I told you to stay in your room,” he said from behind the paper.
Lynette sighed. “Dad, I’m not a child; you can’t banish me to my room.”
There was a long silence, then he slowly folded the paper and put it down on the desk. “I’m your father. I can do anything I want to. And I’d like to point out that I’m treating you like a child because you behaved like one,” he said.
She could only stare at him, her anger building, but then her mom slipped into the room, and it faded when she saw her. But she was no help, just stood staring at them both, wringing her hands. “Lynette, your father is just worried about you,” she finally said.
“When you will understand that I’m a grown woman and I can take care of myself?” she asked, looking from one to the other.
“When you grow up and start thinking about someone besides yourself,” her father said, rising to his feet. “Do you have any idea how dangerous what you did was? First, you take off with a man we barely know to spend the night in the mountains, and then you used magic outside of the valley. When I agreed to let you call off your engagement to Tim, I never dreamed you’d run off with a man the first chance you got. Do you have any idea what people are saying?”
“I don’t care what people are saying. I’ve been worrying about that for my entire life. It’s not my fault that every aspect of my life is open to the entire valley; that’s yours,” she said, raising her chin, her anger only growing.
“I won’t have you talk to me that way,” her father said. “Go to your room until you’ve calmed down, and then we can continue this discussion. I have to tell you, after your recent exploits, I’m seriously considering renewing your engagement to Tim—that is, if he’ll have you.”
Her mother gasped, and Lynette was speechless for a second, but then she found her voice. “I won’t marry him, and you can’t make me,” she said, squaring her shoulders, ready for a fight. “I love Derek, and he’s the only one I’ll ever marry.”
“I’ve heard all I’m going to listen to. You know nothing about that man,” her father shouted. “You will do as I say as long as you’re living in this house; now go to your room.”
“Do you have any idea how stupid that sounded?” she asked, incredulous that her father was acting like a tyrant. “Where is it that I’m supposed to go? Should I move into a cabin across the valley? That’s about my only option since I’m stuck here for the rest of my life.”
Lynette didn’t wait for his response, she turned, stalked out of the study and straight out the front door, which was what she should have done before. Fighting tears, she put her head down and headed for Derek’s cabin, the only place she wanted to be at that moment. When she knocked on his door, he opened it, saw her, then stepped out onto the porch.
“What are you doing here?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I had a huge fight with my dad,” she said, looking up at him and wishing he’d pull her into his arms. “I had to get away.”
“I’m sorry, Lynette. He wasn’t very happy with me either, but we’ll figure it out,” he said.
“He said he might make me marry Tim,” she said. “I told him you were the only man I would ever marry.”
Derek was silent for a long time, then he said, “I wish you wouldn’t have said that.”
Lynette’s heart sank. “Oh, I, well...I guess...I think I’ll just get going,” she said, backing away from him.
“Lynette, wait,” Derek said.
But then Sam popped his head out the door. “Dad, dinner’s ready. Are you coming in?”
“I’ll be there in just a minute,” he said, but Sam didn’t move.
“Gus says that it’s getting cold and that you should hurry,” Sam insisted.
“Go inside and have dinner with your family, Derek,” Lynette said, the obstacles between them suddenly seeming insurmountable.
She didn’t wait for him to answer, just turned and ran for the barn, tears streaming down her face, her heart breaking a little more with each step she took. When she got to the barn, she threw a bridle on her favorite horse, swung up onto its back without even saddling it, and rode off into the darkness. Desperate to get away from the mess she’d made of her life, she kicked her horse into a gallop headed for her favorite cliff and any solace she could find.
Chapter Fourteen
***Derek***
Derek had just shut off the light and was finally falling asleep when there was a loud banging on the front door. He jumped out of bed, fumbled around for his robe, and headed for the door, pulling it open just as the banging began again. A bit surprised to see Thomas standing on his doorstep, his face red, his chest rising and falling with anger, he stepped back, letting the older man push his way into the cabin.
“Where is she?” he demanded, looking around the living room. “In your bed, I suppose. What kind of man are you?”
Derek watched shocked as Thomas stalked down the hallway, opening every door he came to and looking inside. Sam came stumbli
ng out of his room, wiping the sleep from his eyes, and he cringed, wishing he’d stayed in his room.
“Dad, what’s going on?” he asked, looking down the hallway at Thomas, who was staring into his bedroom, a confused look on his face.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Derek said, pushing Sam back into his room. “Stay there for a minute.”
Sam glared at him. “You never tell me anything,” he said.
Derek sighed. “I’ll tell you when I know,” he said, but he had a pretty good idea why Thomas was there.
“If you’re looking for Lynette, she’s not here,” he said, walking down the hallway to Thomas who was still staring into his room. “She was here earlier tonight, but she left before dinner.”
He didn’t want to tell Lynette’s very angry father that he might have made her think that he didn’t want to marry her, that she’d run off into the night crying, or that he hadn’t gone after her. Instead, he said, “I’m sure she hasn’t gone far. I’ll help you look for her. Just let me get dressed.”
When Thomas didn’t reply, he walked a few steps closer, then asked, “Where else have you looked?”
“This is all my fault,” Thomas said, finally looking at Derek. “I drove her away and now...I was so sure she’d be here...” his words trailed off.
Derek was beginning to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. “What are you trying to say? Where is Lynette?”
“I thought she was in her room. I told her to go to her room,” he mumbled. “Why didn’t she just listen to me? Doesn’t she know that I know what’s best for her?”
Derek stepped up to the man who was still shaking his head and mumbling. “We have to go look for her,” he said, grabbing his arm.
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