A sharp screech cut the air, and behind him, the twins started leaping and shouting. “Telos. It’s Telos,” they called over and over.
The urge to look up clawed at Gunnar, but he could not, would not, move. Not until Katy said so. He closed his eyes again, let some part of him tumble into the light this time. The energy made him both dizzy and calm. Finally, the light dimmed, leveled off into a serene white glow.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “You can let go now.”
“Do I have to?” he said and turned his head to softly kiss the center of her back.
“Careful, Chief,” she said with a chuckle. “There’s still work to be done.”
He gave a little laugh and sat back, now fully conscious of the uproar unfolding behind him. The twins, caught up in a happy dance, pointed and shouted at a crowd of searchers and rescuers on the ridge far above. Gunnar raised both thumbs in the air, hoping his team could see from their perch.
“What’s going on?” Shiloh asked sleepily. “Is my mom here?”
“She sure is, young man,” Katy said. “We have all the help we could ask for.”
The boy stared at the sky, then suddenly sat up and pointed. “It’s Telos!”
Katy smiled. “Looks like he was here all along.”
Gunnar got to his feet and reached down to help Katy stand, then pulled her into an embrace. “It seems we have a quite a bit to talk about, Ms. MacBain.”
“It seems we have quite an audience, Mr. Wolfe.”
“Then I hope they enjoy what they’re about to see.” Grinning, he bent down and kissed her exactly as the woman of his dreams deserved to be kissed. She might be the strongest, wildest, most stubborn and surprising creature he’d ever met, but he wondered if she’d mind very much if he fell in love with her anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Are you sure you don’t mind waiting back at the house, Aunt May?”
From the back of the truck’s cab, Katy watched Gunnar’s aunt turn and give him a seriously perturbed look. She bit her lip, wondering if and when they’d tell him they’d already met and that his Aunt May, better known as Mayme, was very likely the reason they had any future at all.
“Who, exactly, do you think you’re talking to, Gunny? Is this a show for your girl?”
Gunnar grinned. “I’m just trying to be a good host.”
“A good host? Does a good host take his guest to a rescue call? Does a good host leave his guest in the truck while he traipses through the woods for hours? Does a good host let his guest wait alone at his house while he sees his girl back to her house?”
Anxiety edged up the back of Katy’s throat. This was not the kind of impression she wanted to make on Gunnar’s only real family, especially as an encore to her emotional meltdown on the sidewalk the other day. She knew it was a bad idea to let him drive her home. She should have just gone back to the station with the team and slept there.
But he’d been so persistent, and Aunt May hadn’t seemed nearly so annoyed when they decided on the plan. In fact, she’d had a twinkle in her eye that made it seem like the whole thing was her idea. Katy decided she needed to do some sort of damage control and fast.
“I am so sorry, Aunt May. This visit must be off to a terrible start for you. Gunnar, you just drop me off and take your aunt home. She needs to put her feet up while you cook her a good meal.”
Practically in unison, Gunnar and Aunt May burst into snorting laughter. “Oh, she’ll do just fine, Gunny. This one’s a keeper. I guess searching for her wasn’t a wild-goose chase after all.”
Katy’s mouth fell open. Jokes didn’t sneak up on her often. And what was that about searching for her? She stared at Gunnar, then caught his eyes searching for hers in the rearview mirror. Though laugh lines flanked them, she saw a nervous flicker in their depths. “Welcome to the clan,” he said. “Nobody gets in without passing the Aunt May test.”
Or the Mayme test, apparently. Katy sat back with a deep sigh, eventually succumbing to May’s musical laughter. “Wow, I was shaking back here. You were very convincing.”
“Never hurts to remind the young folks who’s in charge,” May chuckled. “But, on a serious note, I want you both to know what a pleasure it was to watch you in action today. I know you said to stay in the truck, Gunny, but how could I not get out and help search for those kids? When you radioed to say you’d found them, I felt like I helped save the world. And then when that eagle appeared and literally led the whole bunch of us to you two . . . well, that was a kind of magic I didn’t know existed before today.”
Katy’s whole body warmed. They had witnessed something special today, and that was saying a lot, since magic basically defined the whole of Spellbound Falls.
“I think you might be reading a bit too much into the eagle’s role, Aunt May, but I am pretty happy about the outcome.”
“Oh, you weren’t there, Gunny. I heard that eagle screech and screech until he was sure we were paying attention. He just kept sweeping back and forth between the searchers, almost like he was herding us from the sky. And then, all of sudden, we saw you all at the bottom of that hill. You can say what you will, but I know that bird had a plan.”
“I’m going to vote with Aunt May on this one,” Katy said. “Of course, I’m the one who told you about Telos in the first place.”
“This girl gets smarter and smarter all the time, Gunny.” Aunt May glanced back and winked, making Katy feel like she’d not only passed the test but also gained a really powerful ally.
“Well, I know better than to argue with either of you, so I guess this discussion has come to an end,” Gunnar said and pulled the truck into his new driveway. “I won’t be long, Aunt May. Just want to see that this one actually goes home and rests after today’s heroics.”
“Gunny, I am so tired after this little adventure, all I want is a hot bath and long nap. And there’s a good chance that nap will stretch right through to morning. Don’t you dare hurry on my behalf.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then opened the door and stepped out of the truck. “I’m guessing you’ll want to ride up here, my dear, so why don’t you come on out and get a hug before you go.”
Katy jumped out and dashed around the truck, a little sorry to say good-bye to this wonderful woman, especially now that she was more than a stranger on the sidewalk. She held her arms wide and gave a hug as good as the one she got. “I’m so happy to know you, Aunt May. You are clearly, and deservedly, the most special person in Gunnar’s life.”
The woman pulled back and looked at her, that familiar twinkle in her eye. “Not anymore, my dear. I feel certain we get to share that title.” With a quick kiss to Katy’s cheek, she headed for the door. “You two go . . . decompress,” she said and gave them a bawdy wink. “We’ll catch up tomorrow.”
“Well, that’s Aunt May,” Gunnar said when Katy got back in the truck.
“I don’t think I could love her more,” she told him, pursing her lips around the secret she and Mayme shared. It would come out soon enough, she decided, and in the meantime, he had a secret of his own to answer for. “What did she mean about searching for me?”
Gunnar’s eyes widened, and he gripped the steering wheel hard before peeking her way. “Yeah . . . about that . . . I, um . . .”
Katy smiled, his reaction giving shape to what had been a string of random comments. Any firefighters catch her fancy? He never should have looked for her in the first place. A wild-goose chase. She stopped his sputtering with a raised palm. “Just answer me this: does it have anything to do with my friend Jane?”
His mouth quirked and he hung his head. “It seems wise to neither confirm nor deny her involvement.”
She barked out a laugh. “Oh, you two know each other all right.”
“I was going to tell you, I swear.”
Katy crossed her arms and arched her brow. “Were ye
now? Just when did you plan to do that?”
He dropped his head again. “I hadn’t quite figured that out yet.”
She shook her head and studied him. Had a kinder, sexier, more adorable man ever existed? “I forgive you,” she said. “Knowing Jane the way I do, I’m pretty sure you never had a choice.”
Gunnar’s face brightened, and he looked her in the eye. “If it makes it any better, it was the best damned order I’ve ever been given.”
“Well played, Mr. Wolfe,” Katy said with a chuckle. “Now, let’s go decompress.”
* * *
* * *
They reached the campground in record time, the two of them grinning the whole way. Gunnar had held her hand as he drove, lifting the back of it to his lips at each stoplight, which, in addition to filling her with the most amazing combination of longing and tenderness, had her on sexual pins and needles by the time they finally arrived.
“So, your cabin then?” Gunnar’s eyes had never looked so blue, and Katy literally couldn’t find the words to answer him.
His flirty expression crumbled. “I . . . um . . . so . . . you know, we don’t have to rush anything. I’m never going to be the guy who presses the issue or gets upset. You tell me when, and—”
“Go to your cabin,” Katy blurted.
His eyes widened and he almost grinned. “Really?”
“Of course, really. Do you have any idea how much delicious time you’re wasting with this ‘er . . . um . . . so’ business?”
Without another word, he flipped the truck into reverse, turned them around, and flew down the gravel road. They skidded to a stop in front of a cabin identical to hers, though without the tinkly silver wind chime near the front door. “As requested, mademoiselle. Welcome to Chez Wolfe.”
She arched her brows at him. “You speak French?”
“I think Frenglish might be the more appropriate name.”
“Frenglish?”
“Oui, oui.”
“You better stop talking and get me into that cabin before every bit of my interest dries up, monsieur.”
With a hearty laugh, Gunnar hurried out of the cab, ran around to her side of the truck, gathered her in his arms, and carried her to the front door. Then, realizing his hands were occupied, he looked at her with such concerned ambivalence she burst into giggles. “Put me down. That door key is clearly the most critical part of this equation at the moment.”
He followed her directions like a man possessed, and Katy’s feet hit the ground quickly but gently. She watched with bemusement as he sifted through his keys, then struggled with the lock, and finally flung the door as wide as it would go. “The famous wooden tent, at your disposal.”
She stepped inside like she’d never been there before, took a second to note that his striped comforter also looked a bit lumpy and that every surface in the cabin sported a coffee cup. Either he considered them a stylistic touch or he wasn’t so great at picking up after himself, either. Most of all, the honesty pleased her—no fuss and exactly as represented. Those were difficult qualities to find, in life and in people.
Saying nothing, she turned and grabbed him, wrapping him in the same sort of embrace he’d used on her in the woods. He smiled—surprises clearly pleased him—and stared into her eyes, waiting.
“I get to lead, huh?” Katy breathed.
“Most definitely.” He slid his hand along her back and pressed her closer. “This time.”
Peering up at him, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt. When it hung open, his broad, chiseled chest hers to touch, she pulled back and slowly unbuttoned her own shirt, eyes never leaving his.
His breathing intensified, and she felt the eager energy in his hands as they softly kneaded her back. With a tiny smile, she stepped away from him and, eyes still fixed, carefully removed every item of clothing separating her skin from his. He gasped and licked his lips but waited, just waited.
Unable to keep from touching him, Katy reached out and peeled his shirt back. She pressed her palms against his chest, then kissed the skin between her hands. He leaned forward to kiss her, but she gently held him back. Lifting up on her toes, she kissed the base of his throat, breathing in his musky, woodsy scent. Then she kissed his chin, and, finally, his lips.
They touched lightly at first, and then, just as the lines between their bodies had blurred in the forest, atoms and molecules took over, bonding and blending into a new chemical compound. Katy gasped at the feeling, at the power of simply being next to him, and a small anxious tremor sprouted deep within. What if this consumed her? What if she completely lost control? What if she wasn’t ready?
She peered up into his eyes and her soul settled. She wanted this. With every bit of her, she wanted this. And to lose control in something desired, in something shared and equal and real, meant acceptance, not consumption. She was safe here, with him. They both knew it.
Aflame with certainty, Katy undid Gunnar’s belt as she backed him toward the bed. He smiled down at her, eyes blazing but still gentle. Who was this beautiful, wonderful, patient phoenix of a man? He definitely needed to be rewarded, and she trembled at the thought of the pleasure his reward would give her.
“Now,” she whispered up to him.
His left brow rose, just a touch, as if to ask if she was sure. She raised hers in response, then pushed him back onto the bed. The blending began anew, as hungry fingers explored every curve, every hollow. They kissed until they couldn’t breathe, bodies arching to be closer and closer. How had she ever feared this?
“I don’t have words for how beautiful you are,” Gunnar murmured, rising up to gaze down at her with devotion.
Katy smiled. “Words aren’t exactly what I’m after at the moment.”
His brow questioned her again, the arch higher and more lustful this time. His fingers danced across her skin, gliding lower and lower. “So, tell me. What are you after, exactly?” he said, just as those fingers found their mark.
A husky sound—part sigh, part gasp—rolled from her lips, and Katy felt her eyelids flutter. “Exactly that,” she managed, the words escaping in a long, breathless moan. “Do so much more of that.”
Arching her back, she pressed herself into his rhythm, into the music of her pleasure. As the waves built within, promising the most delicious explosion of her life, she opened her eyes and literally felt herself lifted into his gaze—into an endless blue sky, ocean water, sea of delphinium state of bliss. She grasped his forearm and matched his cadence with her pelvis, claiming the sensation and letting it claim her in return. Why, oh why, hadn’t they done this so much sooner?
When the intensity ebbed and, with a tender, body-scorching kiss, he entered her, Katy knew why. Here and now, every cell in her body was ready for this moment, and she quivered with new hunger. In this space, the space of their bodies, there existed nothing but nature’s poetry and fluidity and purpose. Nothing was taken, and everything given, as they pressed and wound and wrapped themselves into each other.
Katy again lost herself in Gunnar’s gaze as a new kind of magic claimed her body. She gasped, seeing the power of their bond, the slow, steady build of passion and connection and, yes, love, in the infinite blue of his eyes. This time, her soul sighed. There was healing to be found here, too. She couldn’t mess this up; it was her destiny.
They climaxed as one, the power of pleasure rolling through them until they could move no more. Never once letting go of her, Gunnar slid to her side and pulled her close, his arm cradling her as their hearts pounded out messages to each other. Katy lay her hand atop his arm, unable to stop caressing his skin. They should probably never wear clothes again, she decided.
At some point, eons of moments later, Gunnar took hold of her arm. He ran his hand up and down several times, then lifted his head and looked at her. “It’s gone,” he said.
“What’s gone?” she asked, mind still
dreamy.
“Your scar.”
The anxious tremor returned, but Katy swatted it away. Her mother had healed the skin, and Gunnar the wound beneath. Someday, she’d tell him her gift was inherited and that, in addition to having one woman in his life who could do the impossible, he’d have to deal with two. For now, though, she just wanted to enjoy feeling whole for a while.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s gone for good.”
Epilogue
In a distant kingdom across the Bering Sea, a cell phone chimes, the text tones like tinkling piano keys. Having just settled her wee princess in her crib, the queen pulls her phone from her pocket and reads. In the space of seconds, the words take shape and her heart soars. Her dearest friend in the world is not only better and stronger, but blissful, having fallen in love exactly according to plan. The queen smiles, deciding then and there that her new family needs an immediate dose of enchantment, courtesy of the Maine mountains. Blessings abound in Spellbound Falls, and she must see them for herself.
In James Bay, off the coast of Canada, the sun shines upon a newborn island, its magical peaks and crevices teeming with ancient wisdom. Far below, scuttling like soldier ants, awestruck explorers work to discover the secrets of Atlantis, to understand this unexpected gift to humanity.
In the Bottomless Sea, a young boy, no longer fearful or isolated, laughs and calls out to his friends as they splash through the sunlit waters. Together, the three boys chatter and swim with a pair of playful dolphins, their sleek bodies leaping joyfully. Above them all, visible only to those with the most open of hearts, the air shimmers like so many fluttering angel wings.
In the heart of Spellbound Falls, beneath an enchanting canopy of string lights and maple branches, a couple strolls through the park hand in hand, her mahogany head occasionally tilting toward his broad shoulder as they smile and laugh. Around them, their community gathers—clusters of excited families and friends—all anticipating the dusk and the roaring campfire that binds and nurtures them.
Call It Magic Page 26