“That does sound lovely,” I agreed as my mind paused on the thought of being sequestered away with him somewhere. “Maybe we can do that someday soon. Don’t worry about me, though. I’m fine with everything.” I smiled and looked into his eyes. “The view here is very nice too.”
“It is, isn’t it?” he replied not missing a beat, knowing that I was talking about looking at him, while he looked at me.
He wrapped both of his arms around me then and pulled me up close to him, looking deeply into my eyes.
I waited for the kiss that I knew was coming, moistening my lips in anticipation as he tilted his head, moving toward me. I was completely taken off guard when he stopped short and pulled back from me a little.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, suddenly looking at me with concern.
I nodded my head and laughed, his quick change of subject throwing me off as I struggled to catch up with him.
“Yes. But not for food,” I replied and nudged the end of his nose with mine, knowing he would get my message.
That was all the encouragement he needed to proceed with his previous thought. He rolled me over onto my back, not allowing anything to distract him from his intended target this time.
We ended up deciding to stay in the room and ordering room service for dinner that evening.
I watched from the crack afforded by the partially open bathroom door, where I was hiding when it arrived on a beautiful tray that was wheeled into our room by a young male waiter. There was a vase of flowers on the cart along with linen napkins and polished silver cutlery with pretty china.
“You can come out now, baby,” Vance called to me when he had closed the door behind the exiting young man.
I blushed a bit and couldn’t help the girlish giggle that escaped my lips when I walked back into the bedroom.
“I can’t believe you just answered the door in a bathrobe!” I exclaimed while I tightened the belt on my own robe, which was identical to his, only smaller. “I would have died of embarrassment!”
“What could I possibly have to be embarrassed about?” Vance grinned. “I’m here on my honeymoon with the prettiest girl in existence, having a romantic dinner with her in matching bathrobes. Every guy in this place would be absolutely jealous of me right now and my extreme good fortune.”
I blushed again at his appraisal of me. I had always felt inferior to Vance when it came to looks. He had a way of making women of all ages stop dead in their tracks just so they could stare at him, me included. I had never seen any boys or men stop to stare at me the way women looked at him. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Vance looked at me that way all the time.
“Earth to Portia,” Vance’s voice broke into my thoughts, and I suddenly realized that he was holding a chair out for me to sit in.
“Oh, thank you,” I said, feeling a bit flustered for a moment.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked which I suddenly found funny since he could have just ruffled through my thoughts on his own and found out for himself.
It suddenly meant a lot to me that he respected my privacy enough to not do something like that.
“It’s nothing,” I said, dismissing my previous thoughts with a wave of my hand as he moved to sit in his own chair.
“Really?” he probed. “Because I can almost see those wheels turning in your head.”
I laughed at him.
“I was just thinking about how incredibly handsome you are and how lucky I am to have you … again,” I said as I smiled at him, sure I was stroking his ego to a flame by this point.
He surprised me once again, when he shook his head.
“Someday I hope I’ll really be able to make you understand that I’m the lucky one in this relationship, Portia. I’m almost afraid to take my eyes off you sometimes … for fear I’ll wake up and this will have all been a wonderful dream.” He looked at me, his eyes overflowing with love.
“I’m not going anywhere, Vance,” I replied and reached out to lay my hand over the top of his.
“Good,” he answered with a smile, and he turned his hand slightly so he could squeeze mine. “Now eat up before your dad comes bursting through that door complaining that I’m keeping you too occupied with … other pursuits and not feeding you enough.”
“Yes sir!” I said, laughing at the wicked grin and wink he sent my way.
The smells lifting from the delicious dinner in front us soon had our mouths watering in delight. We enjoyed the crispy duck in a lovely sauce, something I had never tried before, with baby carrots and asparagus. Vance had also ordered us the hot rhubarb soufflé for dessert, which was perfection in and of itself.
After we were done with dinner and our tray was picked up by the waiter, we opted to snuggle together for the rest of the evening until we both fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The next morning, though it dawned bright and clear, I could see it was going to be another chilly one outside. The weather didn’t affect us, though, because we still opted to stay in our room for most of the day. I soon began to realize that going off on a honeymoon to an exotic location was absolutely pointless, since we never wanted to leave our little hideaway to do anything else.
“Do you feel like you’re ready to venture out into the world yet? Maybe explore the place a little?” Vance asked me in the middle of the afternoon, after a pretty heated couple of hours.
“I guess we can … if you want to,” I said. I was lying in his arms, letting my hair spill across his chest like he liked.
“I am perfectly content right where I am,” he said while he drew his fingers through the dark strands, which was giving me a very relaxed feeling. “I just thought you might be getting bored with me by now.”
I snorted at that comment.
“Not likely.” I smiled a very satisfied smile, and I lifted my head to look at him. “I’ve been having a marvelous time thanks to you.” I had a thought which worried me then. “Unless you’ve grown bored with me, that is.”
“I thought my feelings where you’re concerned have been rather obvious,” he commented with a chuckle.
“I just want to make sure you’re enjoying yourself.” I settled my head back down on his arm.
“Well, apparently I’m not doing a good enough job at showing you my intense pleasure at this whole situation if you actually have to ask,” he replied, and he suddenly rolled me over onto my back and began kissing me again.
“I believe you!” I said with a little squeal, laughing, and he moved to trail his kisses down my neck to where the slightly purpled scar still showed where he had bitten me before.
“Too late,” he mumbled against my neck before he licked and sucked at the spot. “I have to prove myself now.”
I greatly enjoyed it as he proved himself to me once again.
When evening arrived, we decided to go down to one of the three restaurants on the premises.
We got dressed up nice, he in a suit and tie, and me in a cocktail dress. After debating what we were in the mood for, we finally decided to dine in The Red Room where we enjoyed beef Wellington and a marmalade soufflé.
The atmosphere was wonderful as we listened to the live music that was being played by a very accomplished pianist on the large grand piano. After dinner, we strolled around the castle enjoying the sights and history offered there. We ended our little tour in the Great Hall next to the crackling fireplace, where we enjoyed a glass of wine together as we continued to listen to the lovely music floating in the air.
We socialized a little bit with other guests, making friendly conversation with some who were local and others who were visiting from around the world. Everyone seemed so infatuated with the idea that we were there on our honeymoon, and I was surprised by how many people gravitated to us throughout the evening. We received a lot of well wishes from the people we met, though I was amazed all through the night as I watched the unveiled appreciative glances the women threw constantly in Vance’s direction. I had to suppress a slightly ne
rvous giggle of discomfort for him, wondering if he felt like a prime serving of meat set up on an auction block.
After much visiting, we eventually made our way back to our room at a very late hour.
“Well, I’m glad that’s over with!” Vance grumbled as he closed the door behind us. “I didn’t think it would ever end.”
I let the laughter out that I had been holding back.
“I wondered if you were feeling nervous at all,” I said. “Those ladies were eyeing you up and down all night.”
He looked at me like I had lost my mind.
“What are you talking about?” Suddenly I wasn’t sure we were speaking about the same thing.
“What were you referring to?” I asked him back, feeling completely confused at the moment.
“Those men out there!” he exclaimed while he shrugged out of his suit coat. “I understand how easy it was for them to be completely captivated by your charms, but did they have to look like they were undressing you with their eyes every single second? I was beginning to think I might need to knock a couple of heads off or at least poke somebody’s eyes out!”
I looked at him, dumbfounded. Surely he was just toying with me.
“Quit teasing me,” I finally said, mostly for lack of anything else to say.
“Seriously? You didn’t notice anything at all? I felt certain that was what was making you so uncomfortable out there.”
“If I was uncomfortable, it was because of all the women that were ogling you,” I replied. “I’m certain you must have misread the men. As I’ve said before, you’re the beautiful one in this relationship.”
He walked over to me then, grabbing my hand, pulling me over to a mirror on the wall, and forcing me to stand square in front of it.
“I want you to look at yourself, Portia. Really look. It’s time for you to see yourself the way I see you,” he said, his voice gruff with some emotion I couldn’t read.
I stared into my reflection, feeling very self-conscious about what he was asking me to do, but then he started speaking again.
“Look at your beautiful black hair,” he said, and he pulled the few pins I had in it out so it was lying in a thick curtain around my shoulders. Then he ran his fingers through it. “I can’t stop touching it. It’s one of the most luxurious sights I have ever seen, and it feels just like spun silk.” He lifted a large strand, bringing it to his lips so he could kiss it.
I watched him, my eyes wide in amazement.
“I can’t stop with your hair, though, because your eyes have me completely mesmerized,” he continued, stepping behind me to place his hands on either side of my head before he turned it slightly back and forth. “Look at them, Portia. They’re like black onyx jewels that flash in the light. I’ve never seen eyes the color of yours, and I constantly feel like I’m drowning in the depths of them.”
I felt my skin heat up, blushing at his words.
“Yes. That’s right, baby. Don’t let me forget this beautiful porcelain skin of yours. Perfectly alabaster in one moment and then flushed pink with desire in the next. You have no idea what it does to me to see your skin react like that.”
I figured this was a good thing since my skin was currently flaming from the picture he was painting for me.
“And then there are those ripe, full delicious lips of yours. They’re like a plump fruit, just waiting to be picked and promising to offer up the nectar of the gods to whoever is partaking of it. I want to be the only one ever partaking of it.”
My mouth was salivating at his comments now, and I just wished he would kiss me already.
He slid my hair away from my neck then and kissed the scar he had created there.
“This should be even further proof of my desires for you. You fill me with a need and longing so great that it’s been almost disastrous for you,” he whispered softly. He sucked at the spot as his large hands slid down over my bare arms, sending shivers over my body. “I want to touch, hold, and caress every part of you until you understand completely what I feel for you, that I won’t be whole until your entire soul, which is the most beautiful part of you, is a part of me. You’re so amazing…inside and out. Truly you’re the most breathtaking, bewitching creature I’ve ever seen.”
I felt my eyes water at his sweet words, and I felt overwhelmed by this glorious figure standing beside me as he declared his love and desire for me. In that moment, I really saw myself in his eyes, and it was a revelation to me.
I moved to turn around in his arms, but that was when we both noticed the flashing light in front of us on the telephone.
There was a message waiting for us.
He paused to look at me, neither of us wanting to break the special moment we were experiencing.
“You should check it,” I encouraged him after a few seconds. “It could be something important.”
Vance gave a disappointed sigh before he answered it, listening intently to whoever was speaking.
“Who was it?” I asked, after he placed the receiver down.
“It was your dad,” he replied, and he scooted the phone back toward the rear of the dresser. “He says he hopes we’re having a good time together. He also said our contact will meet us in the morning at a restaurant called Crannog at the Waterfront, in Fort Williams at ten o’clock. He said the man’s name is Brian.”
“How will we know him?” I asked.
“He said he’d be waiting for us outside the front door.”
“Sounds cold,” I said thinking of the brisk weather we had been having since our arrival in Scotland. “We’d better dress warm in case we have to wait on him.”
He nodded his head, before changing the subject back to the previous topic.
“How did you enjoy your evening though, really?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me.
“It was wonderful, thank you,” I replied with a smile. “Did you have a good time?”
“Of course.” he answered. “At least I did when I wasn’t frustrated with every other man in the room. But then again, any time I’m with you constitutes a good time.”
“I can think of a few times when we’ve been together that don’t make it very high on my list of good times,” I reminded him, and several memories of the past flashed through my head.
“Let’s not think about those anymore. We’ll just make new happy memories, okay?” he suggested, bending to kiss my lips.
I was just getting warmed up with his kiss when he pulled back, staring at me with a puzzled look on his face.
“What is it?” I asked a little concerned.
He looked me over for a moment, as if weighing his words before he spoke them.
“I don’t know. It’s just that I always thought when I’d finally be able to be with you in the physical sense, it would ease some of the desire, the ever-constant drive I have to be with you.”
“And now that we’re together that way?” I asked him, truly curious about his answer.
“It’s a million times worse.” He laughed, seeming pretty amazed at his own statement. “I hope you don’t think I’m crazy, Portia, but I just can’t get enough of you. You drive me to complete distraction.”
“Well, if I’m being honest, then I must admit I’m enjoying your affections greatly,” I replied as I wound my arms around his neck. “And if it helps you at all, I feel the exactly the same way.”
“Do you?” he asked, holding me tight in his iron grip. “Because you seem to be controlling it a lot better than I am.”
“Not really. I just enjoy watching you be the aggressor in this relationship. You do it so well.” I smiled seductively at him and could actually feel the wave of passion as it rolled off him, lighting us both on fire.
“Now that’s a role I can definitely handle,” he said. He suddenly scooped me off my feet and carried me over to the bed.
He tossed me unceremoniously onto the soft surface, before reaching down to my feet and removing my black strapped heels, kicking his own shoes off at the same ti
me, and then coming to lie next to me.
I reached over to grab his necktie, working it loose until I could pull it over his head. Then I began working on the buttons on his shirt as he searched out the side zipper of my dress.
“I love you,” he said, and he placed a kiss against my exposed collarbone.
“I love you, too,” I whispered back, and I slipped my hands into his shirt, pushing it back over his muscular shoulders. The two of us spent the rest of the night wrapped together creating our own blissful haven.
Chapter 4
The morning did indeed turn out to be very cool as we stood bundled up, in front of the restaurant, waiting to meet Brian, our contact. We were a little bit early though, so Vance currently had me tucked up against a nook in the wall, shielding me with his body from a bone-chilling breeze.
“I wish this place were open so you could go inside,” he said with a concerned look, and he wrapped his arms around me in a giant bear hug, laying his head down against mine. “I don’t want you to get sick.”
He would occasionally reach down to pull my hands up to his mouth where he would blow long puffs of his warm breath onto them, after which he would rub them briskly between both of his warm hands, which he would heat slightly with his magic for my benefit.
“I’m fine, really,” I said with a smile, loving every second of his careful treatment of me, watching his hands as they heated mine. “How do you always know how to do stuff like that?” I asked, looking up into his eyes.
“What do you mean?” he replied, meeting my glance with a bit of a confused look.
“I mean how do you know how to use your magic? Everyone is always telling me how gifted I am and that my powers are so strong for how new they are, but the fact of the matter is I have no idea what I’m doing or how to use them even. You respond so naturally to things, like you know exactly what your powers can and can’t be used for.”
He chuckled slightly.
The Trouble With Spells Page 4