by P. M. Briede
The heat was turned down for a week until the campaign pulled an invitation for a huge fundraising event with big oil in Houston. While Alexander wasn’t as insistent on Wesley’s presence for it, Wesley didn’t feel he could miss it and continue to run the campaign. While my health was leaps and bounds better than I had been three weeks ago, I wasn’t ready to travel or attend that kind of event yet.
“Charlotte, say the word and I’ll stay,” Wesley offered as he packed.
I was sitting on the chaise in our bedroom, depressed that he was leaving so soon and alone. He’d been home but I wouldn’t call our time together quality. Wesley was constantly on the phone fighting with Alexander because of some foolhardy idea a person named Banks kept putting in Alexander’s ear. The conversations left him angry and bitter about not running the campaign the way he’d always envisioned it. But he couldn’t quit and asking him to stay was asking him to quit. “No, darling,” I sighed. “I’m just going to miss you is all.”
Wesley abandoned his suitcase and knelt in front of me, taking my hands in his and leaving a delicate kiss in each palm. “I’m going to miss you too. It’s just for a few day. I’ll be back on Sunday.”
I nodded. He gently cupped my chin and brought my eyes to his. Something was troubling him, I could read it in his eyes. “What is it?” I asked.
“Charlotte, can I ask you a something?” Wesley countered.
“Of course,” I hesitantly answered.
Watching him struggle for words made me leery for what he wanted to know. “Why did you never have children? Did you not want them? Did Giles?” Everything came out in a rush once he started.
At first, I was relieved with his questions as I thought he was going to bring up Olivier or me quitting my job or him quitting his. After all this was the last night we had before he left for Houston. But these questions made me nervous for different reasons. “Did I never tell you?” I stalled. “I could have sworn I had.”
“I asked Paige once but she told me it wasn’t her place to answer,” he confessed, apprehensively. “That if I wanted to know, I should ask you.”
The pit in my stomach grew and I asked for the answer I already knew. “Why?”
“Because I want them with you,” he quickly responded. “The idea of our children, well, it’s getting me through the long, onerous days. I know we haven’t even discussed a wedding date and this is probably a premature question. But we’re not getting any younger, love, and I was hoping you’d be open to trying right away.” He stole a glance at me again and grinned sheepishly.
I turned away from him to look out the window and fight the tears. Yet again I was in a position to crush his dreams. Yet again I was going to be a disappointment to him. How many more times is this going to happen? His worried “Love” caused me to lose the battle with my own sorrow and I started to sob. He immediately forced my eyes back to his. Panic overtook his face when he saw mine and he pulled me into his arms to console me. “Charlotte, whatever it is just tell me. I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m assuming from your reaction that I’m probably not going to like what you have to say but I can take it. I’ll still love you.”
Taking the tissue he’d produced, I wiped my face and took control over my emotions. However, I still couldn’t look at him. “You don’t know what you’re promising,” I sobbed into his shoulder. When he tried to interrupt me I let my words bowl over his. “Many of the profession’s best doctors have all told me I cannot carry a child to term. They threw a lot of medical jargon at me, offered a bunch of expensive fertility treatments, which at the time offered decent results which Giles and I couldn’t afford. But I’m older now and my chances then weren’t great so I imagine they’re even worse now. If you want a child that is yours, that is ours, I can’t give that to you.” The tears started pouring out of my eyes again. “I’m so sorry, Wesley. I never brought it up before because I honestly thought you already knew. I can’t ask you to give up…”
The man has to have an iron stomach given how my most hideous moments didn’t deter his lips from meeting mine. After silencing me with a kiss, Wesley rested his forehead against mine, as he always did to tell me it was going to be him and I together facing whatever was ahead. “While that definitely wasn’t what I wanted to hear,” he gently murmured, “I didn’t hear that we cannot have one. There’s surrogacy and adoption. I don’t need genes to know I have a child with you. I love you and I want to share that love with someone else. Whatever needs to be done to give you, give us, a child I’ll do. That is if you want one?”
How was he even real? How could one man really be so amazing and understanding and loving to overlook everything that was wrong with me? I kissed him sweetly but deeply. “I’ve always wanted some, Wesley, and I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than to have them, however we do it, with you.”
Tears sprang from those passionate, brown eyes of his. “I’m so lucky and I will never forget it for even one day. You are my dream come true and I know I’ll never be able to get through this world again without you.”
Wesley stood, bent, and swept me up into his arms, carrying me to the bed. Tossing me on it, he quickly followed and began removing our clothes. He nipped at my stomach and legs as he pulled down my jeans. “Wesley!” I cried. “Don’t you have to finish packing?”
“Given the day we’ve both had and the fact that for a few days you will no longer be sharing my bed, I’ve decided that even though it may be difficult to get you pregnant with my child, I don’t see that as a reason not to try.”
Suddenly his body was above mine. The passion shining out of his eyes trapped mine when I looked into them. His hands caressed my thighs, pulling my legs to drape over his as he positioned himself between them. “Charlotte, do you want me?” he pleaded in my ear, his breath caressing me. His lips and tongue followed my pulse, which was rapidly catching the frenetic pace of his.
I was so overwhelmed with lust I could only moan with desire in response. We haven’t had sex since the fire at Mardi Gras and I was desperate to connect with him again. My hips began slightly swaying as my body took over when my mind faltered. “You’re so wet,” he gasped as he slid into me. I curled my arms around his neck and pulled him close, swimming in a sea of bliss due to his long, purposeful, and perfectly timed strokes. I voiced my pleasure until my throat grew raw and when I could no longer, I heard his fervent replies.
The force of Wesley’s thrust crushed me to the bed and springs popped underneath me. I cried out in rapture surprised by the rush of sensations that coursed through me, teetering just at the edge of pain. His power, his resolve, his erratic rhythm, left me so weak that it was beyond my abilities to keep my eyes open. His body was tensing, and not in unison with his drives before relaxing on the back stroke, but remaining so, a declaration that he was close. The flood waters were about to breech the dam. I shut off my mind to focus purely on the feel of his strides.
The absolute decimation of the dam had not been what I’d anticipated. What I can only describe as a tsunami of unstoppable and endless waves of nirvana pulsated from between my legs to the tips of my fingers and toes. Yet, it was the reverberation that tensed every muscle I had, spreading my fingers, pulling back on my feet, arching my back, and constricting tightly around him, as my body was left convulsing. I couldn’t say his name. Hell, I don’t think I knew my own. All I could do was listen as my moans fought with one another to fly from my lips.
When the frenzied fog lifted and the waves were reduced to calm billows, his panting breaths broke through my consciousness with periodic cessations as he gasped for air. We were both so slick with sweat that my legs slid down from around him. I had thought I was immensely satisfied and would be for at least a day. I was wrong. Desire resonated through every nerve, making me edgy and antsy.
Apparently so was he. His arms slipped around my waist before flipping us over and into a sitting position. His kiss was voracious as his tongue plundered mine. It was then I real
ized there was a slight, rhythmic writhing between us and he was still fully erect. “Do you need something, darling?” I speculated against his lips.
“Finish me,” he growled. His hands told me how as they grabbed my hips, grinding me into him. I could have sworn he’d come with me moments ago, but I didn’t question him. Obviously he hadn’t if he was still hard. Taking over, I placed my hands on his knees, wrapped my legs around his back, and arched back, all while undulating against him.
God, but he felt so good nestled within me! My head fell back as I moaned and felt my own burgeoning orgasm. “That’s right, my love, use me!” Wesley cried. The hands at my waist clenched when his body shook uncontrollably as I felt him throb. The unexpectedness of it pushed me over the edge as the welcome tides crested over me once more.
Before I collapsed from exhaustion and sank into complete contentment Wesley’s arms caught me and crushed me to his chest. His head dipped to meet my lips, kissing me gently and deeply. I sighed as ripples of pleasure still thrummed through my body. He chuckled and whispered against my lips. “Baby or not, I’ll happily do that with you every night for the rest of our lives.”
Chapter 5
The morning after Wesley left, I depressingly went out on my back patio to drink my morning coffee. I had just sat down when Olivier leapt over my fence. “What the hell, Olivier!” I screamed in terror. The damn man scared me to death! “What are you doing in my back neighbor’s yard?!”
He flashed me a wicked smile. “I’m your back neighbor, my dear.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You said you lived around the corner?”
“So technically I live around two,” he casually countered with a shrug.
I rolled my eyes at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I find that your garden offers more beauty than mine.” His eyes roved over my body and sparkled with excitement as he plopped down in the space on the bench next to me. Having him so close made me uneasy. This was the first time we were alone together since his confession at the hospital and a lot had changed since then. I’d kissed him a half dozen times with each growing more intense than the last. I loved Wesley, but knowing how threatened he was by Olivier, I finally admitted to myself that Wesley’s fears weren’t fully unfounded.
“You know there’s an easy fix for that,” I started, ignoring the fluttering of my heart. Olivier straightened and laid his arm across the back of the swing at my words. “You plant some flowers. I’ve seen your yard of shrubs and trees. Plant some flowers you like and you’ll find it lovelier.”
“What flowers would make you happiest?” he asked with the fire burning in his forest green eyes. His fingers tenderly caressed the back of my neck.
I ignored his question and touch and steered the conversation away from telling him how best to please me and instead to our crisis. “You know, Wesley shared with me some of the more absurd conditions the campaign has been dealing with,” I lobbed, testing the waters.
“You didn’t change his mind about anything, did you?” Olivier scolded.
My voice was full of exasperation. “No, I didn’t. I didn’t need to, Olivier. I know you said I blind him to his fallibilities and that might be true, but whenever any of this got brought to his attention, he immediately called Alexander and talked him down. They’d poll to show how bad these ideas are and Wesley was up half the night getting the reports together each time. He’s so frustrated with Banks but I can’t figure out who it is yet.”
Olivier didn’t speak right away, so I peeked over at him to find him contemplative. He drew a deep breath before answering. “That would change things if it were true, Charlotte. It would mean he’s being used to take the fall.” Yes! He sees it, we can bring Wesley in! “But that all may change now that he’s on the trail and away from your influence. You love him, so you’re a little biased yourself. We just need to wait and see.” I dipped my head and pressed my fingers into my forehead to massage the sudden tension that flooded back into me. Why had I thought it would be so easy? “I’ll make you this promise though, if you’ll look at me.” The flames undulated in his eyes when I pulled my head up to meet them. “If it turns out that he’s truly being set up, I’ll protect him for your sake.”
I would have kissed him, I felt so relieved. But I didn’t and it wasn’t because my mind reminded me that I shouldn’t. It had everything to do with the pain behind my eyes. “My dear, what’s wrong? Is there some lingering pain from the fire?” Olivier grabbed my arm and examined my skin. There was some insignificant scarring which could only be seen if the light was perfect and someone was looking. I saw no reason to risk kissing Olivier to be rid of them since so far I’d been the only one to notice. However, the morning sunlight was perfect and he was looking. “How come you never mentioned these? They’re everywhere. One kiss and they’re gone.”
“I’m fine and they’re barely noticeable,” I answered pulling my arm away. “Plus they’re a good reminder of what it is exactly we’re facing.” I could tell from the look in his eyes that he knew that wasn’t the reason I was willing to live with them. “They don’t hurt if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Something does though, won’t you tell me what?” Everything about him was laced in concern. Not releasing my hand he intertwined our fingers.
“It’s just the fire dreams,” I answered with a sigh. I hadn’t had one since the hospital and honestly hadn’t thought about them since either. There were too many other questions, answers, and distractions. “I had a bad one last night and it’s lingering today.” The two voices had been replaced by an image of two people having passionate sex. The green flames engulfed, but didn’t burn, them. I really wished they would have. The sight of them burning would have been better than the memory I carried now. Especially since they were two people I recognized. Two people I couldn’t believe would ever share a bed. The image of Wesley and Abigail together made me gag.
Olivier’s grip on my hand clinched. “What’s a fire dream and how long have you had them?”
I explained my long, torrid history with them. How they’d started in college, leaving me in a cold sweat and with a pounding headache. How’d their flames fluttered and danced in rhythm with the heated exchanges of two vaguely familiar, disembodied voices. He wore a mask of stoic calm as I spoke, but his eyes showed just how distressed he was to learn about this facet of my life. “In fact, before the fire I thought the voices I heard were you and that woman you were speaking with at the Governor’s ball.”
“It was, Charlotte,” he stated grimly. “You just described every conversation where I was given orders to get you away from the whelp.”
I blinked. “I don’t understand. How is that possible? They’re dreams, aren’t they?”
“It doesn’t sound like it and I don’t know how it’s possible,” he answered nervously. “I’ve never heard of something like it before but most angels don’t get involved with humans, much less muses. So who really knows?”
“Have I been dreaming about the ignes iudicii?!” I cried. Then a terrifying thought hit me. “If the dreams from before were true does that mean…” I trailed off, unable to voice my fear.
“Maybe not,” Olivier said through grit teeth. He knew what I couldn’t ask and he obviously didn’t believe his own words. The grim set in his jaw, his taut muscles, all said so. But Wesley wouldn’t never do that to me!
“It may also be the elusive explanation I’ve been searching for as to why you caught fire in the first place,” Olivier’s voice hijacked my inner dialogue which was desperately trying to convince me that last night’s dream of Wesley and Abigail having sex in a bed of green fire wasn’t a fire dream. “In all my experience, the convicted has to come into contact with the fire to burn. The fire was lit to threaten me, yet you were immersed in it. I still don’t understand, but maybe this is the missing piece. I think it’d be wise for you to avoid any angels for the time being.”
He had to be kidding. “Exactly how a
m I supposed to do that, Olivier? Last I checked you guys don’t go around wearing signs saying ‘by the way, I’m an angel.’”
“Yes, dear, I’m aware of that,” he acknowledged without an ounce of humor. “I’m suggesting you not go to any campaign functions. Since we don’t know who the exile is, you shouldn’t risk being burned again. The next time might not be by accident but they’d have plausible deniability since you don’t need to be touched, just nearby. If they figure that out you’ll be in even more danger than you already are.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I argued. “If you think my dreams are real, I’m tempted to catch a plane to Houston and attend the event tonight! See for myself that Wesley is still in love with me; still committed to me. I will be at the next event, Olivier.” I pulled my hand out of his to cross my arms across my chest, underpinning my commitment.
As Olivier closed his eyes, his head fell against the back of the chair. “I just wish there was a way to keep you from danger altogether.” His hand reached out and pulled on my arm until I untangled them, allowing him to reclaim my hand in his. He brought it to his lips. “Other than me always listening in on you,” he muttered under his breath.
I don’t think I was meant to hear that, but I had. I bolted upright in my seat. “You do what?!” I accused him.
His eyes warily cut to mine. “I listen to you, Charlotte.”
“From your house! Exactly how good is your hearing, then, and don’t lie to me, Olivier?!”
“Good enough that on the day I cut myself in the music room, I knew you were coming. I could hear the footsteps and could tell by their sound that they belonged to you. I can tell you that three houses down the couple is fighting. In the house across the street from mine a baby’s crying. Next door someone is watching the news.” I felt my eyes widen as Olivier rattled everything off at a rapid clip. Paige would have questioned him, but while he lied to everyone else in the world, he didn’t to me. Well, not when I asked him a direct question at least.