by Sable Hunter
“Not exactly what I meant,” Arabella stammered. God, this was hard.
“Quit worrying, Arabella,” Jade assured her. “The other men are history. You’re here with me now.”
“No, Jade.” She grabbed the hand caressing her neck and lightly playing over the top of her full breasts. He wasn’t making this easy. “The only man I have ever made love to is you—in our dreams.” She waited for his reaction. What if he didn’t want a twenty-four year-old virgin?
* * * *
The next second, he pulled her to him and wrapped both arms securely around her. “You are the sweetest thing. Don’t you understand how this makes me feel? To find out the sexiest, most responsive, most luscious woman I have ever known has never felt the touch of another man? You are mine! You belong to me!” Jade kissed her deeply. His tongue mated with hers. The taste of her lips intoxicated him. He could feel his erection growing stronger and stronger and he wanted to shout for joy! He’d prayed he would regain the full use of his manhood, but he had enough sense to know there were thousands of nerve endings, which all had to work perfectly between his brain and his penis. Last night, when he had lain with Arabella, the brain had been willing but the flesh had been weak. Now, there was absolutely no doubt. He had a raging hard-on. He tore his mouth from hers and laid his head on her shoulder. He had to slow down or he would come and their lovemaking session would be over faster than he wanted.
The doctor had also cautioned him about overusing his back. He’d said the movements and stress of penetration were not wise as of yet. He’d told Jade to wait and see if he could even have an erection, before they crossed the next bridge. Well, that particular question had been answered.
Arabella misinterpreted his change of pace. She pulled back slightly. “Did I do something wrong?” she whispered.
“Baby, oh baby—everything about you is just right. I want you so badly. The doctor said I had to take it slow, but I am about to burst. I’ll be all right in a moment.” His breathing sounded harsh.
“May I, Jade?” Arabella pressed on his shoulder until he laid down flat. “I may not kiss you just right, but I’d like to try.”
He groaned in anticipation. She nipped his shoulder lightly and softly. She spread a light trail of hot kisses over his pectoral muscles, and then down the sculpted washboard of his abs, which were trembling and jerking with the knowledge of what was to come. Arabella pushed the covers down to his knees. He wore nothing underneath and his erection stood tall and engorged—straight as an arrow and vibrating with the sheer fervor of his carnal appetite.
“You are magnificent!” she whispered. With trembling hesitancy, she wrapped one small, warm hand around his thick shaft, as far as she could reach. God, it felt good! Jade thought he would explode before she even got started. Her hair brushed his loins and the anticipation of her lips on his sex was driving him mad. He refused to rush her, but the wait for her lips caused every fiber of his body to stand at complete attention. Ah, she lowered her head and her mouth touched him. He almost levitated off the bed with the pure pleasure of the feel of her lips and tongue on his body.
* * * *
At first, she pressed butterfly kisses all around the head of his penis. Then she began to move her hand firmly up and down the superb length of him. The other hand slipped down to caress his velvet sac. He arched his back as she pleasured him; she took the whole head of his penis deeply into her mouth. She moved even closer to him as she maneuvered into position to accept as much of his length down her throat as possible. Instinct took over. Arabella had no prior experience, she had watched no instructive videos, but she knew she wanted to give him the greatest amount of pleasure possible.
Much to her surprise, she found that she too was becoming aroused. She swirled her tongue around the head, nibbling up and down his shaft. She loved every inch of his cock. Quickly, she learned if she pulled her cheeks in, she could create a sensuous vacuum for his desire. He clutched the bottom sheet in his hands, and stiffened his long muscular legs as he groaned in euphoria.
Arabella received great pleasure from this extremely personal act. As she continued to work to bring him to completion, she found her hips were beginning to move and she was squirming with sheer, sexual hunger.
“Arabella, sweetheart, I’m about to explode.” He touched her shoulder, trying to give her an opportunity to avoid the ejaculation about to erupt.
She ignored his nudge and only quickened her strokes and tightened her lips, which served to push him into delirium. His hot seed spilled out, and she, knowing it was part of him, did not hesitate to accept all he had. When he had spent himself, she tenderly removed her mouth and kissed the now depleted, but still impressive male organ. She thought she might cry, never had she felt this close to anyone. She kissed her way back up his mid-section and laid her head on his still heaving chest.
But, she needed more. Arabella tried to keep still, but she wanted him so badly. She forced herself to lie still, his health and well-being always infinitely more important than satisfying her own desires.
“Thank you,” he breathed. “That was absolutely incredible. Now, it’s my turn.” He reached for her and she put up her hand.
“No, Jade. You must be careful, we have to wait.”
“I’m not going to move anything but my lips and my hands. Sit up and let’s get that sexy black gown off, you look like a goddess in it, but you’ll look even better naked.” She allowed him to pull the negligee over her head. While her arms were caught up in the gown over her head, she felt his lips on her breasts. “With your arms up like that you look damn sexy, your breasts are high and lifted up and your nipples are literally pouting, begging me to suck on them.”
His words made her tremble. Then his lips returned to her breasts and nipples and she found herself groaning as he had earlier. He suckled deeply on one nipple first, and then the other. To save his back, he pulled her over until she was leaning over him, her breasts dangling in his face like lush fruit. He took both of his hands and pushed her breasts together, darting his tongue from nipple to nipple. She didn’t know how much longer she could stand take the excitement—it just kept building. In her dreams, she had felt extreme desire, but the dream-state experience paled next to this overpowering bliss.
“Lay down, baby,” he instructed her.
She complied; both breasts were damp with love and reddened with the attention they had received from his lips and teeth. His hand found her swollen mound, and he parted her legs and cupped her pussy making her squirm with delight.
“You are so hot and so wet.” She raised her hips in answer to his caress. “I’m going to put my finger inside of you; this will help stretch your canal so when we make love I won’t hurt you.” She tensed slightly, but his finger slipped in easily and he began to massage the inner walls of her vulva. One finger, then two—he moved them in and out in a pleasure building rhythm that caused her stomach to tighten and the muscles of her sex to close tightly around his fingers. “You are so responsive. I can’t wait to take you completely. This is where I long to be. Does this feel good, baby?”
“God, yes,” she whispered. He didn’t stop, but continued the onslaught from her throbbing clitoris to her greatest need.
“Sit on my face.” Jade urged her up until she straddled his head.
She gasped at his intent, but when he pulled her down and thrust his tongue deep within her, she didn’t have the strength or the will to protest. He held her still while he made love to her with his mouth. His tongue plundered her repeatedly, and then kissed her into oblivion as his lips and tongue laved her clitoris. She clung to the headboard for support as he gave her almost unbearable pleasure. He was as determined as she had been that she allow him to feast on her until she collapsed limp with satisfaction. Even after countless contractions, her hips continued to undulate with delight. She cried and whimpered, chanting his name over and over like a prayer.
He brought her down to lie in his arms and kissed her cheeks
and lips repeatedly. “You are so wonderful.”
“Jade, I have never known anything like this. I didn’t know making love with you could feel so good. Last night and every other night we spent together has been amazing, but this is lightning and thunder and supernovas. Thank you.” She kissed him solemnly as if sealing a promise.
“Nothing in my life has ever prepared me for you. You are magic,” he confessed.
Her heart felt content and her body was completely satisfied. They slept the dreamless sleep of the blessed. Only later did she realize there had been no words of love. Would she only hear ‘I love you’ in her dreams?
Chapter Ten
The next morning, just before dawn, Elizabeth and Evangeline slipped through the woods to Lyle Sessions’ house. They had dressed as they had seen others do in the movies, in all black. As they neared the house, they stopped and peered through the underbrush. “What are we looking for?” Evangeline whispered. Maybe, she should have asked before they left the house.
“I’m after something I can read, something he has touched so I can delve into that sick mind of his. I believed he may be responsible for some of those deaths. I’m going to look. I know he’s guilty, if he’s not guilty of murder—he’s certainly guilty of something. The man is as mean as a snake.” As they studied the white bungalow house, Elizabeth noticed a clothesline strung between the posts on the back porch. A few items of clothing were hanging there secured by clothespins. “Look, there are some shirts hung out to dry. Stay here, I’m going after the prize.”
Elizabeth took off, slinking low to the ground. Evangeline didn’t have a chance to grab her or stop her, so she whispered, “Be careful.”
The early morning light still shone through thick shadows, camouflaging most of her movements. When she reached the porch, she climbed up over the railing until she could reach an old plaid shirt flapping in the winter wind. As she leaned over to unhook the garment from the clothespins, her eyes focused on something odd. There were hides tacked all over the wall of the house. Cat hides! Domestic cat hides! Thank the Goddess Evangeline wasn’t close enough to see this. She would be heartbroken and apt to send a tornado down upon his house.
Elizabeth hoped none of these poor cat skins belonged to any of Arabella’s cats who had gone missing over the years. Flashes of howls and yowls of tortured animals flitted through her mind. Residual horror lingered near the skins of these poor babies who had done no wrong other than wander onto a madman’s property. Shaking her head to eradicate the stomach-turning images, she turned around and saw the clincher. There was one other hide, a curly white canine hide. Poor Pumpkin. This was proof as far as Elizabeth was concerned—the son of a bitch had to be guiltier than hell. Climbing down, she took off in a run. As she hit the ground, the back door opened and out came old Lyle Sessions, a deer rifle in his hand. Elizabeth hunkered down, quickly crawling under the side of the house and clambering to the other side. When she emerged, she ran as fast as she could to the cover of the woods. Looking quickly around, she realized she had missed where Evangeline was waiting by a good one-hundred yards or more.
Out of nowhere, a shot rang out and pieces of bark flew through the air after a bullet from Sessions’ rifle hit a nearby tree. She fled toward Evangeline, her niece’s safety foremost in her mind. Another shot rang out and she zigzagged through the underbrush, desperately scanning the area for the younger girl.
Suddenly, Evangeline grabbed her shirt from the back and together they headed toward Wildflower Way. Elizabeth did not look back, but clutched the shirt in one hand and Evangeline’s arm in the other. They dashed through the woods until the Victorian farmhouse came into view.
“Damn thieving, witches—your time is short,” he spat at the retreating figures. “I don’t know why you’d want a shirt of mine, but you’re up to no good, that’s for sure.”
* * * *
Arabella dressed a blue candle with High John the Conqueror Oil, a strong, hoodoo oil used to empower spells and assert your will. She carved Jade’s name into the candle and wrote a petition on a piece of parchment paper.
‘Heal Jade Landale from all ills.’
She lit the candle and placed the paper beneath the glass candleholder. Saying a prayer to the gods for his continued healing, she placed the candle next to their bed. Their bed, she thought. Just a brief remembrance of his touch sent her head spinning in dangerous directions.
She forced herself to abandon that line of thought. The physical therapist Dr. Francois located had arrived, taking Jade into the sunroom for his exercises. Arabella had helped her in, noting that she had brought a massage table and an exercise bar and some other equipment she thought would be beneficial to his progress.
As she began straightening the room, and cleaning up from her ritual, a slight knock sounded on the door. She turned to find the physical therapist.
“Miss Landry, would you mind if I showed you a massage technique you could do to help Mr. Landale between my visits?”
“No, I will be right there.” She quickly finished and headed to the sunroom. She had no experience with massage, she didn’t quite know what to expect. She found Jade lying face down on the table with a towel draped over his hips. Her heart missed a beat, he looked so vulnerable. He also looked sexier than any man had a right to look.
The therapist showed her how to place her hands on his back and to work the muscles on either side of his spine. She told her to pay special attention to his lower back and the muscles of his hips. “It’s important that the blood circulates freely through these muscles. If you have any oil, it would be beneficial for you to apply it to this area. Make sure you rub the oil between your hands to warm it before applying it to his skin.” As the therapist explained the technique, Arabella knew there was no way she was going to be able to give Jade a beneficial massage when all she wanted to do was make love to him.
The therapist told Jade he could get off the table, but Jade refused. “I think I’ll lie here for a few moments, if that’s okay with you. I’m a little tired.” Since the physical therapist would be returning every day or two, the equipment would remain.
“Rest as long as you need to. Miss Landry, would you show me out?” With a glance back at Jade, to assure herself that he wasn’t in pain, Arabella walked the lady to the door.
Upon returning to the sunroom, she heard Jade groan. Running in, she asked, “Are you all right?”
Laughing, he rolled over and carefully sat up. “I’m fine, just turned on. I didn’t get up a few moments ago because I didn’t want to embarrass you.”
There was no way she could miss his blatant arousal. Arabella tried to hide her reaction, but her face fell. “Oh, I see.” She looked down, not meeting his eyes. “No need to be embarrassed. The way you’re feeling is normal for a man. She is a very beautiful young woman and I’m sure she gives a very good massage.”
“No, baby.” Catching her hand, he drew her to him. “The technician didn’t turn me on. It was the idea of your hands on my body that created this monster.” He spread his legs and pulled her between them. Taking her head in both of his hands, he pressed tender kisses all over her face. “It’s you, I want, love. You are the one who makes my blood boil and my heart race. Just as soon as I get clearance from Dr. Francois, I am going to show you just what you mean to me.”
Hugging him tight, she let out a sigh of relief. “We don’t want to rush things, but I want that as much as you do.”
“Hey, what does a man have to do to get fed around here? All of this sex talk has made me hungry for food, among other things.” He playfully bit her neck.
“All right. All right. I’ll feed you.” Helping him get dressed and into the wheelchair, she pushed Jade to the kitchen and fixed them both a grilled cheese sandwich. They ate, talked and shared everything they could think of—likes and dislikes, childhood stories and funny tales. Both of them enjoyed the chance to learn more about the other. Finally, she noticed that he looked tired. “Why don’t you lie dow
n for a while?”
“Only if you promise not to do anything exciting while I take a nap.”
“Not much chance of that.”
Arabella had promised Jade she would visit his home and collect some of his things. He had not asked her again, but she didn’t want to keep him waiting. After she had him settled, Arabella took out the directions he had wrote down for her, the list he had made and the keys that would get her into his house.
House was a poor choice of words. Jade’s home was actually a loft in downtown Austin. The address led her right to the middle of the city, very near the huge university, the capitol building and the infamous 6th Street entertainment district.
The drive hadn’t taken but about a half hour. As she turned into the drive, she was glad that parking wouldn’t be a problem, because Jade had a reserved spot. When she located the spot, however, a white Audi sat in the place. She had to drive to another level of the garage and park in the visitors’ area. The loft was on the fifth floor of the newly renovated building and she had to use his key card to enter the elevator, and then again, to gain access to the correct wing.
When she found the door of his loft, she slipped the key in and entered. The sight of his home took her breath away. No expense had been spared; the apartment had been decorated and furnished with the very best. Wildflower Way could be described as comfortable, but there was really no comparison between the two. Jade must feel like he’s slumming.
She walked through the living area and found his study. He had wanted his checkbook and some other papers he had left in his desk. When she started to turn the knob into the study, she noticed a light shining from under the door. Thinking he must have left a light on, she opened the door and was shocked to find Kate Thompson sitting at his desk. Miss Thompson was equally surprised to find herself being interrupted by a stranger.