o0o
It was near five in the morning when Ali slipped out of bed. Her energy had been completely restored, the last wave of power filling her only an hour ago. She was fully charged to say the least and needed to balance and ground her energy before it took charge of her.
She quietly left the bedroom, leaving an exhausted Sebastian to his deep slumber. It was better he didn’t know, better to wait and introduce him to her skills slowly so he could accept more easily.
She stopped still in her tracks halfway through the kitchen.
Practical.
When had she begun to reason and think with a logical mind? Time was a commodity she didn’t have much of if the spell was to work to her advantage. Either he accepted who she was or he didn’t.
She shook her head. Acceptance had nothing to do with it. Love was the key to the spell. How strong was his love for her?
She hurried out the sliding-glass doors, making certain to disengage the security alarm first. She rushed down the deck and rejoiced when her bare feet touched the grass.
She raised her hands to the heavens and called down white light to swirl in circles around her, clearing and defining her energy. It filled her with delight, this presence of being welcomed home. This uniting of energy that solidly connected her to Mother Earth and to Her full richness of life.
When she finally felt full, complete, and renewed, she sent a prayer of thanks to Mother Sky.
With that done she plopped down and rolled like a child in play in the green, healthy blades of grass, their nutrients nourishing her and grounding her even more to Mother Earth.
It felt so good, so refreshing. It felt as if she had returned home to a loving family’s eager arms. She giggled and laughed and rolled over and over, the strong, green blades poking, prodding, and tickling her.
She settled on her back and stretched her arms up to the dark night sky, her fingers eagerly plucking at the faraway stars as if in an attempt to capture one.
She giggled and laughed some more like a child at play thoroughly absorbed in the energy of Mother Earth and Her worldly magic.
o0o
Sebastian stood at the sliding-glass doors watching Ali. He had been startled out of a sound sleep by a sharp voice that ordered him to wake up. When he had seen that Ali was gone, he immediately went in search of her. He had found her almost by instinct. He knew where she would be. How he knew? That was a confusing revelation to him, but he knew she would be outside.
He had spotted her, the distinct light from the half-moon shining down like a spotlight upon her. She rolled with joy in the thick carpet of grass as if she had not a care in the world. It didn’t matter that she was naked in his backyard. Hadn’t he bought the property with privacy in mind and for a similar reason? He had given thought to swimming naked with his future wife in his indoor pool, and the surrounding woods provided him with just such privacy.
Of course making love on the grass under the stars was another matter... a matter of feeling free enough to dare such a tempting stunt.
Free.
Ali possessed a freedom many searched for, but few found. And at the moment he wanted nothing more than to join her in that autonomy. Tomorrow was soon enough to think of his actions. To recall that he, Sebastian Wainwright, CEO of Wainwright Security, walked naked out onto his deck at five in the morning and cavorted with the woman he loved in the grass. He quietly opened the sliding-glass doors and stepped out.
Ali felt his presence, had known instinctively he had stood watching her, and had continued to frolic in delight.
Her hand made a quick stab at the sky. “Gotcha.”
Sebastian approached her, having no doubt she knew he was there.
She turned her head toward him and held out her clenched hand. “A gift.”
He stopped beside her, her outstretched hand almost touching him. “What is it?”
Running a quick glance of admiration over the man she desperately loved and who filled her with endless pleasure, she said. “It’s a star to wish upon.”
She waited, anxious to see if he would deny her gift.
He didn’t hesitate. He placed his hand over hers.
“Now make a wish,” she urged, “a special wish, Sebastian. A star that falls far enough down from the heavens to be captured holds great magic.”
He needed all the magic he could get. He loved this crazy woman who believed herself a witch, who believed in fairies, who made magical love, and who captured stars from the sky. He loved her with his heart and soul and wanted to spend eternity with her.
“Hold it close to your heart and wish and know your wish will be granted,” she said softly.
He did as she said, closing his eyes. Let me believe.
Ali smiled as a small burst of white light erupted in his closed hand and spread over his chest fading away as he opened his eyes.
“Did I do well?” he asked, opening his hand.
“Perfect. Now you only need to believe, and the wish is forever yours.”
A chill ran over him even though the night was hot and humid. He shook his head slowly, raising it to the early morning sky, sending a silent prayer for help to the heavens, and turned wide, wanting eyes on her.
She reached out to him. “Come to me, Sebastian.”
He recalled his first dream of her and how she had drifted away from him when he most wanted her. This morning she would not drift away. This morning she was his.
He heard the tiny bell chime as his hand slid in hers and he smiled. He lay beside her, her body cool and damp from the grass and so refreshing against his parched skin.
“That bell has driven me crazy,” he admitted in a teasing whisper.
“That tiny bell has special powers,” she said, running her leg along his, the little bell chiming softly against his skin.
He played along, but then he loved her strange beliefs, her magic. “What kind of power?”
“The chime stimulates the senses.”
“By mere touch?”
She shook her head slowly and moved so that she could more easily run her foot along his thigh. “By command,” she whispered and slid her foot between his legs.
The tiny bell chimed an erotic note and sent a shaft of pure pleasure shooting through him, though it could have been from the way Ali worked her toes so intimately over him, or a combination of both, or that she simply knew how to drive a man wild with her foot, not to mention the feel of the bell rubbing against his...
He moaned. Whatever was the case, he didn’t care. He didn’t care about a damn thing but the tiny bell that chimed seductively in his ears and fired his blood.
His hands tore at the blades of grass alongside him. He told himself that he should be touching her in return, driving her as insane as she was driving him. But he couldn’t move, couldn’t think, and could barely breathe.
Then he felt her tongue on him, and all was lost.
o0o
The dark sky faded nodding a welcome to morning as the first rays of daylight began to appear in the sky. Sebastian lay in the grass attempting to regain his breath, his strength, and his senses.
Ali laid spread over him listening contentedly to the rapid beating of his heart.
“You are a witch,” he managed to say, “and I will repay you in kind for what you did to me.”
She raised her head, smiling with delight. “Promise?”
He placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. “Promise.”
“I will hold you to that promise,” she warned.
He had a warning of his own to deliver. “I must caution you.”
She looked with wide, worried eyes at him.
“Keep that damn toe ring hidden, or I swear that I’ll ravish you on sight.”
She laughed and held up her leg, jiggling her foot. The tiny bell remained silent and Sebastian stared at her oddly.
“I don’t understand. I clearly heard it last night.”
“Its powers are mine to command.”
He shook his head.
“It only chimes when you instruct it to?”
“That’s right,” she admitted proudly. “So I can drive you crazy whenever it pleases me.”
“Where do I get one of those things?” he asked seriously.
“It was a gift form a special person,” she explained with a yawn.
He wanted to learn more about this special gift, but the long, sensuous night had finally caught up with them. He felt exhaustion slowly creeping over him.
“We need sleep,” he said, gently rolling her off him.
She agreed with a nod and another yawn.
He stood, reached down and scooped her up into his arms. They entered the house and Sebastian asked her to engage the alarm while he held her.
She did and as he made his way to the bedroom, he realized that he had never told Ali the alarm code, yet she had instinctively known it. How?
He yawned as he placed her on the bed, following her down to lay beside her after pulling the covers over them.
He would ask her about the alarm later this morning. He would ask her many things, but he would also tell her...
“How very much I love you,” he whispered in her ear as he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Twenty
Sebastian woke first, his arms wrapped protectively around Ali. She was snuggled comfortably against him as if she had always been there in his arms, sleeping, waking, and loving.
He didn’t stir. He didn’t want to disturb her or this magical moment. He smiled. When had magic become so much a part of his life? The answer was simple, when Ali had entered it.
Love was truly magical. The entrance of Ali into his life had changed him forever. He could not think of a day without her sharing it. She was part of him, an intricate part whose absence was unthinkable and frightening. He didn’t want a life without her.
She had given him a taste of freedom, and he seriously doubted he could ever live his life as rigidly as he had before she stepped into it.
Practical.
There was that side that persisted, but then he could not run his business without being practical. And with Ali possessing such an eccentric nature, she would need some logic in her life. They would do well together; he and his eccentric witch.
She sighed in her sleep, rolled away from him, stretched, and then buried her head beneath her pillow.
He placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder, slipped out of bed, covered her, and then started the day with a brisk shower.
It was ten by the time he started the coffeemaker. Since it was Saturday, there was no need to rush. Faded jeans and a black T-shirt was his casual dress for the day, especially if he planned to work around the house.
He stepped out onto the deck grinning at his thoughts. Today he planned to work on Ali.
It was hot, the sun bright, the air humid, but then, it was mid-August. It was too hot outside for his morning cup of coffee, not to mention the scandalous memories of their early morning romp in the grass. He decided to return inside to the air-conditioned house.
He turned and saw her standing at the sliding-glass door, wearing nothing but his faded blue T-shirt. Her hair was mussed, her skin faintly blushed, and her lips wore a sensuously petulant pout that punched him square in the gut.
She pressed her hand flat against the glass. He walked over to her, splaying his hands against hers, the glass warm to his touch.
Feel me. She mouthed the words and yet he heard; heard them as clearly as if she had whispered in his ear. And feel? He felt the cool tingle of her palms against his. He felt the quivering sensation slowly spread up his arms, to his chest and stab playfully at his heart.
Come to me, Sebastian.
He heard her. Heard her clearly and ignored the fact that he had not seen her lips move. He slid the door open and stepped inside, closing it behind him.
She kissed his one cheek and then the other, and then she kissed him gently on the lips.
“Mmm,” she said, sniffing the air. “Hazelnut coffee, my favorite.”
He smiled and shook his head.
“Sit and I’ll get you some,” she said, pushing him into the large overstuffed chair.
He did as she requested, watching her hurry off. He caught a glimpse of her bare backside and shook his head again. This was going to be an active day for them both.
She returned shortly with two mugs, handing him one. “Light, no sugar.”
He wasn’t going to ask how she knew; by now he accepted the fact that she possessed the uncanny ability to read minds and that was fine. He would do research on the subject to better understand it and in turn understand her.
He took a sip of coffee and almost spilled it all over himself when she casually though eagerly joined him the chair. Not next to him, but her bare butt smack in the middle of his lap, her legs working their way around him.
“There, that’s comfortable,” she said, snuggling her bottom against him, growing him harder by the minute.
“For whom?” he asked, trying to control the urge to free himself and slip into her.
“For both of us.” She grinned and sipped her coffee. “Actually, I think we should share our coffee like this every morning.”
“I would never get to work on time.”
“We could get up early.”
“You have an answer for everything.”
“I have solutions.”
He placed his mug on the end table. “What solution do you have for this?” He took hold of her backside and moved it across the thick bulge in his jeans.
She smiled and laughed, discarding her mug next to his. “I think you have the solution.”
“No, I have the problem.”
She rested her forehead to his. “Then I have the solution.”
“Show me,” he said, his breath short and his heartbeat rapid.
“My pleasure,” she said, reaching for his zipper.
o0o
They floated naked together on the yellow raft in his indoor pool.
“I have never spent so much time naked,” he said, feeling more relaxed than he ever had.
Ali sprinkled a handful of water over his chest and gently massaged his wet flesh. “Are you complaining? We could always put on clothes.”
“No,” he said quickly and with a laugh. “I like being naked with you.”
“Good answer.”
“Honest answer,” he said, looking into her eyes.
With her powers restored, she could see much more if she allowed herself to. She had not truly looked and at the moment she didn’t want to. Time was precious, but so was his acceptance of her.
Love held the key to their future, and the word had yet to pass either of their lips. And she was counting, counting heavily on the power of love.
“Troubled thoughts?” he asked, his hand coming to rest over hers on his chest.
Part of her urged her to face the inevitable and another part warned to proceed with caution. She warred with herself, and yet her honesty would not allow her to dismiss the issue.
“Concerned.”
“With?” he asked.
His anxiousness assaulted her senses and disturbed her all the more.
“The future,” she admitted reluctantly.
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. She braced herself prepared for his doubt and worry to flood her. Surprisingly, it was a commanding aura that invaded her senses and brought her relief.
“We need to take one step at a time. I told you I wanted more than a brief affair and I meant it. We have time—”
She attempted to interrupt him, warn him in some subtle way, but he silenced any response with a finger to her lips.
“No, we won’t rush.”
“Do you believe in magic, Sebastian?” she asked, needing to know at least that much.
He grinned, a playful, mischievous grin. “You taught me to.”
But how much did he truly believe? She tapped at his chest right over his heart where emotions sprang eternal. “Do you believe with all yo
ur heart?”
He saw concern in her green eyes, felt the tension in her body, and understood, clearly understood, how important this was to her.
He leaned up and over her, the raft rocking precariously in the cool water. He cupped her face in his hand, and his eyes met hers with a bold honesty that startled her.
“You taught me the true meaning of magic, and the true meaning can only be felt from the soul.”
Tears rushed to Ali’s eyes. She was right about this man, this special mortal of hers. His love for her was strong, his courage solid, and he would face the most difficult of spells and emerge the victor, winning the magic of eternal love.
“Don’t cry,” he said kissing around her eyes. “Don’t, Ali, please. I love you so much it hurts me to see you cry.”
Her breath caught in her throat, her heart skipped several beats, and time suddenly ticked faster.
He eased them off the raft and took her into his arms kissing her over and over. “I love you,” he said again and again. “I think I have loved you forever. I was waiting for you...waiting for you to walk boldly into my life.”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I love you,” she whispered.
Afraid now, very afraid. With his acknowledgement of love, his acknowledgement of his belief in her being a witch must follow or all would be lost.
He lifted her chin and captured her mouth in a demanding kiss before once again announcing, “I love you so very much, Alisande Wyrrd.”
She pressed her lips to his gently and whispered against them. “I love you, Sebastian, forever and always.”
“Not long enough.” He lifted her up against him, kissing her with an urgency that fired their souls.
o0o
Ali arrived home after ten that evening. Sebastian had urged her to stay, but she insisted a night of rest was necessary for them both, and that was impossible if they remained together.
He acquiesced reluctantly and made her promise that she would join him tomorrow evening for supper and of course remain the night with him.
She had agreed and they had parted with the reluctance of newly found lovers.
“So it is done?”
Ali looked up to see Dagon walking down the curving foyer staircase. Splendidly tailored in white trousers and a white silk shirt, his long dark hair lay in startling contrast over his shoulders.
The Wedding Spell Page 16