by Raine Hughes
“—to banish you. No! I just wanted you out of the way while I got the fire under control.” His actions had traumatized her, causing her to revert back to archaic speech.
“It is not a wildfire!”
“I know that, now. All I could think of was that fire had destroyed my barn and now my house was in danger. I thought you made a mistake, Jasmine. I panicked before you could explain. Please, forgive me?” He pulled back just enough so he could look into her eyes without becoming cross-eyed.
* * *
One eyebrow crooked upwards on Noah’s forehead while the other remained straight. Like a naughty boy, his smile was lopsided, too, designed to garner her forgiveness. Jasmine nodded ever so slightly. His concerned gaze lightened and he dropped it to focus on her mouth for a long moment. When he returned his gaze to hers the concern was gone, replaced with what appeared to be a blaze burning from within him.
She also realized that his male desire pressed against her belly and for once he wasn’t leaping away in an attempt to hide it. Considering their previous conversation, she was not certain if she should be wary of his blatant desire or not. However, her body filled with a yearning of its own and she was not about to dissuade him from whatever he had in mind—more than just kissing, she thought. A delicious tingle of anticipation took hold.
He was still on his hands and knees, his muscular legs warm and hard as he straddled her prone body. It was his hungry gaze that pinned her to the bed. Otherwise he barely touched her, except for where his maleness pulsated with a progressively stronger beat against her belly. His shoulders eased lower, his intent clear as he captured her lips with his. She gave no resistance, welcomed his embrace so that she could experience him.
He was decidedly hungry, demanding, as his mouth moved over hers. Jasmine met his hunger with her own, sucking greedily on him and winding her hands behind his neck. With a gentle pull, his body sank onto hers, pressing her into the floating mattress without frightening her. The bobbing motion of the waterbed made their slightest motions even more sensual than it might have been otherwise.
With a groan, he deepened the kiss, his tongue wild. She granted him entry. Their tongues dueled and twined, fueling sensations deep within Jasmine’s body that garnered even greater response as Noah surged against her in a primitive manner that spoke exactly of his desires. Then their movements took on an almost fevered quality as they sought to get closer to each other, the bed bobbing and bucking under them.
Noah’s heart pounded wildly against her chest. Her own heart was racing like that of a desert horse. Liquid heat spread through her like wildfire, beginning in her nether regions where Noah’s burgeoning desire bucked intimately against her, setting her quivering with desires of her own, ones she had never experienced before. Even fully clothed, these mindless actions fairly screamed out the sexual delights that could be shared with Noah, and he but a mere mortal!
Jasmine tugged at his shirt, anxious to feel his bare skin under her hands. A primal growl rumbled in his throat as she skimmed her hands lightly over his ribs. Between fevered tastes of her mouth, he kept saying her name over and over in a near desperate whisper.
They were finally going to make love and it would be wonderful! Anxious to take the next step, Jasmine slid her hand down to the button above his zipper and plied her fingers to the task. It was more difficult than she anticipated.
The rendering of breaking wood splintered the air an instant before the world fell out from under them.
Chapter 7
The rip and tear of breaking wood filled Jasmine’s ears as a scream filled her throat, trapped there by the embrace. Her stomach lurched upward in her chest at the familiar falling sensation, only this time it was not the same as being flung about in her magic urn. Her finally released shriek was squelched as Noah fell heavily on top of her when they came to a crashing halt barely a second later.
The next instant, the water bag that had taken the brunt of their weight, broke open with a surge that left them lying on hard wood in two hundred gallons of semi-warm fluid. An unreasonable sense of drowning sent Jasmine struggling to free herself. Noah scrambled about beside her then they were both sitting up, panting.
Their loud breaths were punctuated by the sound of trickling water that drained away, along with Jasmine’s panic. A lone electric light high above them flickered then went out, plunging them into total darkness.
“Oooh!” Jasmine wailed into the dismal blackness that surrounded them. “I have responsibility for this!” Their pleasant foray with passion had turned disastrous.
“You weren’t alone,” Noah said dryly. “I’m all right. Are you?”
Jasmine nodded then realized that he could not see that. “I am not hurt.”
Beside her Noah grunted, then he chuckled. “Ah, heck, Jasmine, talk about a higher presence.”
What was he talking about? A hollow thud told her that he had flung himself backwards onto the deflated water bag to give himself up to all-out laughter. She could not see anything funny about this disaster at all! Gradually, his mirth faded into a long sigh before he sat up beside her.
“God certainly has a knack for bringing a man back to his senses.”
The odd inflection of his voice indicated that he was gazing upwards at the ceiling—or rather the floor—of the bedroom above. He didn’t give her a chance to comment on his strange statement before he asked, “Can you zap us up there and put everything back as it was? I mean, before I came along and overloaded things?”
“I am night blind,” Jasmine admitted, wondering when his good humor would desert him. “I could do this. But maybe not now.”
“Right.” Noah did not sound upset at all. “Give me your hand and we’ll get out of this mess.”
She groped around the deflated rubber mattress made slippery by water and finally located his hand. Together they heaved themselves out of the high wooden frame that had held the water bladder. “I am apologetic, Noah.”
He patted her hand reassuringly and chuckled. “I think the waterbed was too heavy for the old floorboards. There aren’t too many support posts down here. Probably it would have held fine if I hadn’t added my weight to it. Well, maybe it would have if we hadn’t started you know what.”
He began drawing her along as they felt their way away from the demolished rubble that was once a magnificent bed. “If I have calculated this right, we should find the stairs right… about… here.”
Jasmine slowly crept up the steps with him. “Why is it dark?”
“I think we yanked all the electrical wires out when we plummeted through the floor. They converge here,” Noah said as if it were some ordinary occurrence. “We’ll have to wait for daylight before I tackle the repairs. Water and electricity don’t mix.”
He didn’t mention her fixing it, she noted with disappointment. Admittedly, she had been unfamiliar with electricity until coming here.
* * *
Upstairs, Noah fumbled about until he located a flashlight in a drawer near the doorway leading into the living room. Flicking it on, he looked across to Jasmine in the shadowed light. He flashed the light up and down her form then peered into her face to assure himself that she was unhurt. “Are you afraid of the dark?”
Jasmine shook her head. “I just cannot use my powers.”
“You’ll have to make do with the sofa for tonight,” Noah said, surveying the accommodations in the dim beam of light. “As I said, all of our electricity is out of commission, furnace included. It will be colder than normal with only my old-fashioned cook stove providing heat, but that’s why I insisted on keeping it, just for emergencies like this power outage.” Not exactly this kind of emergency, but he wasn’t going to voice that.
He felt Jasmine’s shiver through their joined hands. Until that moment he hadn’t realized they were holding hands again. He brought them up and stared a moment before closing his eyes in distress. “God help me. I’m doing these things without realizing what I’m doing!”
His eyes snapped open as he realized he must have said that aloud. He dropped her hand, and speaking crisply said, “We’re both wet. Take the flashlight and go change your clothes. Don’t fall through the floor.”
She obediently left, returning moments later in her warm fleecy top and pantaloons.
Noah looked pointedly at her bare midriff. “Why not put something on that will cover all of you at the same time?” The irritation in his voice wasn’t with her but with the emotions just viewing her bare belly evoked, feelings that he was beginning to realize he had less and less control of as time went on.
“Oh, I do not shiver now. See.” She grasped his hand and placed it on her midriff, causing him to suck in his breath.
She wasn’t shy about touching or being touched, which was maybe significant, if he thought about it. He wouldn’t. Not now. He simply nodded and eased his hand away. “I best go change, too,” before I do something stupid like haul you into my arms.
He took the flashlight and went up to change. First he had to sit on the edge of the bed a minute to banish the weak-kneed feeling that assailed him, a delayed reaction to the series of near disasters.
Horsefeathers!
The only real devastation going on here was to his hormonally induced senses. Well, to think about these things was only normal, as long as he didn’t act on them, he assured himself, and had to snort at that. Acting on his impulses had caused this latest fiasco! Why couldn’t he control himself? He’d never had a problem in that regard before.
But then, he’d never kissed a woman like Jasmine before, either. He’d known the difference that first day when he’d simply been concerned that she stop crying. And that day when he’d told her all about his ark! Those had been mere kisses. This had been much more, a considerable progression to the other sexual sensations. Whatever happened to his resolve for spiritual love rather than physical? Apparently it wasn’t as ingrained into him as he’d thought. He was a preacher’s son, for Heaven’s sake!
Right, but not the preacher.
Shaken by an obvious trend to his wayward actions, he collected several wool blankets then dropped them on top of his bed. Sinking onto his knees, he folded his hands on top of the blankets and looked upward to God for help.
“It’s me, Noah D’Ark, Lord. I should have come to You sooner, but I thought I could do this myself. I was wrong. I know I have no business wanting a princess, Lord, but as You’ve seen, I’ve given into my impulses more than once. You’ve been doing your best to set obstacles in the path of my disobedience, and I thank You for that. But, I think I must ask You to give me the strength to resist this unChristian yearning so that I don’t have to rely on Your intervention!” He brought the emphatic request in his voice down before continuing.
“I don’t mean to be demanding. It’s just that I’m so… so confused, so wanting, so… I don’t know why, but I’m sure You do. I’m sure You will guide me to do right by Princess Jasmine. Lord in Heaven, please help me resist. Amen.”
He stayed there, down on his knees before God for another long moment then regained his feet, sucked in a deep breath to fortify his resolve, and once more picked up the blankets to return downstairs with them. That’s when he realized that he had taken the only source of light with him, leaving Jasmine in the dark.
She was exactly where he’d left her as if she was afraid to even move.
“These should keep you warm tonight,” he said without referring to the light, and shook the blankets out, preparing to make the sofa into a makeshift bed. Something clattered onto the floor as he gave a blanket a vigorous shake. “What was that?”
“It fell over there.” Jasmine pointed in the direction of the sound.
Noah scanned that part of the room with his flashlight. Something reflected and he bent to retrieve it, holding it up between two fingers. He frowned in puzzlement at the unfamiliar object. Behind him, Jasmine gasped.
“My birthstone!” she exclaimed, reaching a hand out for the large, six-sided prism of pure green. She examined it with reverence before looking up at him for an explanation. “This emerald was a gift from my grandmother. I must never lose it. This one came from upper Egypt, near the Red Sea. The mines are mostly abandoned now.”
“I thought emeralds came from South America.”
Jasmine nodded then launched into what she knew about the gemstones. “Most are, although some have been found in South Africa. Emeralds are rich in color, and the brilliancy and hardness make them one of the most highly prized gems, almost as valuable as diamonds.” She held the stone out to him so that he could see as she explained. “This one is flawless, which is rare, too. A little chromium gives the silicate a very rich and beautiful color.” She finally took her gaze from the precious stone. “Oh, thank you for finding it, Noah. Thank you.”
“It must have been caught up in the blanket the day I rescued you from the cold,” Noah said. “You had a necklace on and I remember thinking the center stone was missing. I never thought of it again because I never saw the necklace again.” He gaze went to where the necklace should have been.
“It must have become dislodged. I was…” she choked to a halt then regained her voice. “I put the necklace away.” She clutched the precious gem to her throat with both hands, the shimmer of tears in her eyes signifying that it was much more than a pretty jewel to her.
She’d said it was her birthstone. In his haste to remove her clothes from her frozen body, the stone had probably caught as he’d yanked her top off without regard to anything save getting their bodies together. He wasn’t about to make reference to that now, though. Possibly when he’d flung the top garment over his shoulder, it had landed in the folds of the blanket.
“I’m glad you’ve found it.” He turned to busy himself with making up the makeshift bed for her, dismayed to find his voice was husky after reliving those first hours with his exotic houseguest. He kept his back to Jasmine as he tucked the bedding in. “The flashlight is losing power. I better look for some candles before it quits.” He strode back into the kitchen and began pulling open drawers and cupboards.
“Oh, let me, Noah!”
Before he realized her intent, a tiny candle appeared. It floated mysteriously in front of him. He reached out to intercept it. Another appeared and he grabbed it, too. When yet a third materialized, his heart slammed hard in his chest. He had only two hands and the third candle floated dangerously near to the curtains.
“Jasmine! That’s enough, thank you.” He hastily set down one on the countertop and snatched the errant candle from the air. The abrupt movement extinguished everything. The smell of burning wax was pungent in the air.
“Oh, I will light them again,” Jasmine said happily, unaware of the predicament Noah faced. With a nod, all three candles relit. This time they were sitting neatly in a row on the countertop. “With a few more we will have plenty of light.”
“No!”
Jasmine jumped at his automatic shout.
“I didn’t mean to bellow,” he said and dropped his voice further. “I’m sorry. I thought you couldn’t use your powers in the dark.”
“That is correct, except for candles. I always have been able to light candles, even as a little girl.” That said, the line of candles on the counter increased one hundred fold.
Noah leaped back in dismay. “Jasmine, please! Candles can be dangerous, especially this many. If some were to fall over…” He should have disallowed the candles when he’d seen them used as the prime source of lighting in her bedroom. They’d looked safe and secure enough at the time and he’d tried hard not to let his fear of fire influence him unreasonably.
“I am always careful with fire, Master. I never have an accident with fire.”
Noah heard the defensive tone of her voice. He didn’t miss the use of his status either. If he hadn’t panicked in the first place, on discovery of Jasmine’s fire blazing away on top of the stove, none of this would have happened.
> Especially that torrid kiss they’d shared.
Nor the absolutely forbidden way their bodies had bucked in wildly sexually explicit movements.
Why can’t I not think of that again?
“I’d forgotten that you are the Candle Princess. I’m sorry,” he managed to say quietly and expelled his breath without loud force. “Could you maybe exchange these tiny candles for a few larger ones?”
“As you wish, Noah.” With a nod, all the candles disappeared and a centerpiece appeared in the middle of the kitchen table. It held a circle of a dozen large candles that effectively lit up the room.
Noah watched the steady flames a moment, taking the time to steady his own inner self. “Perfect. Thank you, Jasmine.” Looking back at the centerpiece, he gave one last shiver to shed his fear, then strode to the refrigerator and looked inside the darkened interior. It was quite bare. “There doesn’t seem to be much in here tonight. Is there enough light for you to conjure up a couple of hotdogs? I’ll open a can of beans. We have bread.”
“Hot dogs?” Jasmine queried.
“Yes. Two should be enough.”
Noah jumped back as two yapping dogs glowed hotly in the dimly lit room. Heat radiated off them as they pranced before him. Jasmine apparently had never eaten the mortal version. He cautiously held his hand out to a dog’s glowing jacket and discovered it too hot to touch. He patted each canine on the head and in the process learned that the inside of their hot jackets were cool, at least.
“They’re definitely hot dogs!” he muttered when he’d recovered his voice. He kept a watchful eye on the pair lest they set something afire as they went to explore.
“I do not see how they will warm the room.”
Noah had to clamp his teeth on a lip for a moment to prevent an outright laugh. The effort required more control than he thought, something he should be exercising in other areas. “Actually, a hot dog is a term we mortals use to describe a wiener, that’s beef or pork or chicken meat formed into a long, narrow sausage that fits nicely into a bread bun which is like a little long and narrow loaf of bread.” He’d never given much thought to the description of a hot dog. “I believe they were first served in New York in the mid-1800s. A German immigrant sold them from a food cart.”