by Ava Delany
“It’s not strange or nuts.” He took a deep breath. She was so brave. Time for him to be courageous too. “My family had a Dark Day experience too.”
Brie’s gaze flew from her hands to his face in an instant.
“My mom was painting when the sky went dark, and you have to understand, even before Dark Day, nothing could take her away from her art when she was into it. Once, I considered telling her the house was on fire just to see if she would put the brush down.” He smirked. “Anyhow, after the darkness fell, she lit a gas lamp and kept painting, but the lamplight seemed to be sucked from the room. She sent my father to the basement for candles to supplement the light. I tried to get her attention because my skin was tingling. Like an electric shock, or the zap you get when you rub your socks on the carpet and then touch a doorknob, but everywhere. No matter what I did, she wouldn’t stop.”
Time fell away and he could see the room again. His mother’s fevered movements, eyes never leaving the canvas.
“It wouldn’t stop building…the terrible electricity. She just painted and ignored me when I called out to her. My father ran into the room and surprised me—”
His frantic need to tell the story fought with the growing knot in his throat. The knot won. He looked away. He’d never admitted what he’d done to anyone. Technically, he hadn’t even told his mother.
“It’s okay, Ian.” Brie rubbed a soft thumb over the back of his hand. “You don’t have to talk about it if it’s too hard.”
No. He needed to say it. It had weighed him down for far too long.
“I almost killed him.” He pressed a palm to his forehead and slid it down his face as he spoke. “I don’t understand it, but electricity just shot out of my chest. It hit him, and he fell.” He let his hand drop and it hit the table with an audible thump. “I don’t understand…”
Brie lifted a cool palm to his cheek, and he wanted to bury himself in it. To curl into the comfort of her embrace and let the past go. His whole life had been an exercise in denying the very moment he now faced, and he felt somehow different. Like he couldn’t go back to the way he had been. The happy-go-lucky realtor without a care in the world. He knew he would, because he had before, but it didn’t feel like it.
“My mom’s trance lifted a moment later. We waited for hours for the paramedics to come and help my father. With all the deaths and injuries on Dark Day, it took a long time for emergency response.”
“I know, it took almost the whole day for them to come for my brother.” Brie murmured.
In the following months, the media had covered the phenomenon over and over again. They endlessly debated the newest theories as to the cause. Then they talked about its benefit to the health care industry and the economy, with the increased health care. But it hadn’t helped his mother or him as they waited next to his unconscious father.
“When we looked at her painting, she’d painted it.” He closed his eyes, trying to block the image he’d managed to avoid for ten years. “In the painting, I stood facing the door, a shaft of light piercing my father’s chest. A dark image, the shadow of death I think, hid in the corner watching with a shark-toothed grin. My father couldn’t handle it, and he left soon after he healed.”
There, it was out now. What neither he, nor his mother had mentioned since Dark Day. Would Brie leave, knowing what he’d done? What he was?
Chapter Four
Brie’s heavy heart fought with her mind. She couldn’t start a pity party. It wouldn’t do either of them any good. She needed to be strong and bring him out of his funk.
“We’re perfect for each other.” She stood, a grin splitting her lips. “The psychic and the, what? Firestarter? No, that wouldn’t be it…Either way, a couple of normal-looking freaks.”
His eyes widened and he laughed.
“Anyhow, it’s time for food.” She came to stand behind him, and leaned down to wrap her arms around his neck. “And I’m ready to meet Buster.”
He turned in his chair to face her.
“I’m sure you’ve spent your whole life blaming yourself for your father leaving. For what happened to you on Dark Day. Repressing it to avoid torturing yourself. It’s what I did for years and let me tell you, it doesn’t help.” She kissed his cheek. “Well, I’m your punishment for being so foolish. You’re stuck with me, and I’m not going to coddle you. Now, are you going to make me dinner or watch me starve to death?”
While Ian stood, Buster ambled out from an open door as though he’d understood the idea of dinner.
“Aren’t you the cutest ever?” She took his head between her hands and rubbed his ears.
Buster sniffed her, gave her a small lick, then jumped up with his front paws on her shoulders, almost knocking her down as he licked her face.
“Buster, down.” Ian stood by the refrigerator, gesturing with a carrot.
“I guess this means he likes me.” She laughed as Buster dropped to the floor.
Brie moved to the counter and picked up a carrot Ian had set aside. Armed with a chef’s knife, she made short work of the vegetables, rocking the blade skillfully until the carrot, celery and an onion lay in fine bits on the butcher’s block.
“Wow, remind me not to get into a knife fight with you.” He stared wide-eyed at her hands.
“Were you planning to?” She laughed.
“Maybe. You never know.”
“Well, if you were a carrot, I’d advise against it.” She gave a hard chop for emphasis.
“Especially if I were that carrot.” He lifted the spoon he’d been using to stir a delicious smelling sauce and pointed it at the carrot slices.
She stopped the blade. The conversation flowed as if they were old friends. What had happened was unusual. The uncharacteristic and uncontrollable behaviors, the coincidences, and in particular the way they were so natural together—like she’d known him all her life. Perhaps longer.
“Well, I’ll set the table so you and the carrots will feel safe.”
“Good idea, we were starting to worry.” He patted an unsliced carrot in consolation before returning the bunch to the fridge then jerked his chin at a cabinet and the drawer below it. “Plates and silverware.”
She pulled the cabinet door open and grabbed plates and cups from inside. As she set the table, her mind went over what had happened. His experience with the magical beer. Even she had experienced the unusual impulses. After all, that was how she’d gotten here. The bout of intense desire and fulfillment. Amazing, yes, but also unnatural in its urgency. She could barely remember the drive from the restaurant. And the creature. Something in the description sounded so familiar.
The light-sucking eyes. The sniffing.
The plate slipped through her fingers, but she gripped hard to keep from dropping it. Her unusual flip. The shadow in the corner sounded just like his bogeyman. Hers menaced from afar, yet seemed dangerous. Could the creature be real?
Don’t be silly. Things like that don’t happen in real life. Her father’s words rang in her head.
She shook her head to clear it of thoughts of a creature with black hole eyes.
“All set.” She placed the last fork on the table. “Where’s the salad?”
He brought the pot to the table, ladling the sauce over the Bangers and Colcannon while she tossed the salad.
Ian ate in silence, but Brie didn’t mind. She studied his strong jaw and full lips. Such a handsome man. When the forks hit the plates for the last time, she bit her lip and stood.
“Last time was too rushed.” She walked to where he sat and held out a hand. “Now, let’s take our time and do things properly.”
He’d had such a hard past, and she wanted to help change his future. Ian pushed his chair back and stood. Brie gazed up at him, her hand lowering a little. With her secret out, she’d been so relieved she hadn’t been thinking about the other problems of having sex with him now. The last time had been so hurried Ian probably hadn’t noticed her body. Would he be turned off by her imperf
ections, on closer inspection? He took her hand and drew her to him.
Then his fingers were on the hem of her dress. Oh no. She tried to remain calm, but her skin rippled as he lifted the material over her thighs. She had to try to be comfortable, no matter what happened. If she wasn’t at ease with herself, he couldn’t be at ease with her, and she wanted to do things right this time.
<>
Ian’s hands froze when she tensed. “Is everything okay?”
She nodded, but didn’t meet his gaze. Instead, she brought his mouth down to hers. Curves he hadn’t been able to attend to properly during their frantic encounter pressed against him, and his hard on jumped to attention.
He broke off the kiss, laying his cheek alongside hers. “God, you are so sexy.”
Brie’s tense muscles relaxed a bit. He drew back. Could she really be insecure about her body? She seemed so confident. How could she not know how attractive she was?
He took her chin in his fingers and whispered in her ear. “I want to see you. Every gorgeous inch.”
Brie burst out with a nervous giggle, but she let him tug the hem up until her dress fluttered to the floor at her feet. The golden light from the windows bathed her, making her skin glow. The black lace bra and boy shorts tantalized him, and his fingers itched to touch her luscious body. Her open hands, which rested on her hips, twitched as if desperate to cover her naked skin.
Her figure was perfect in his book, with wide hips, narrow waist, and full breasts. He needed to make her see what he did.
Ian reached out, placing a hand over hers, and desire pulled at him. He ignored the need, which made him harder, as he slid their hands together over the sensuous curve of her thigh. She licked her parted lips and let out a shuddering breath.
“Can you feel it?” He ran his fingers up her hip, guiding hers over the rounded flesh. “Your skin is so soft, and your hips are so succulent.”
Ian smoothed their palms over her belly and up to her black lace bra. She didn’t speak, but her eyelids grew heavy and her chest rose and fell in a deeper rhythm with each word he spoke. Her lidded expression made his hard on jump against his jeans.
“So few women have perfect breasts, but you have one up on them all.” With his free hand, he released the clasp on her bra. He tugged the material down her arms, lifting his hand from hers long enough for the straps to fall free. He grasped her fingers again, sliding them along her ribcage.
“Do you see how hot you are now? You have the ultimate breasts—petal soft, full, and slightly rose scented.” He drew her palm to her heavy breast, grazing one hard nipple.
She shuddered, her beautiful breasts heaving, and goose bumps rose on her skin.
“You see now, don’t you?” He leaned in as he spoke and brushed his lips over one exposed tip then travelled along her collarbone to the base of her throat. He kissed the perfumed hollow.
“Yes.” Her words were breathy, and she stepped toward him, pressing her body to his.
“This must be heaven.” Ian lowered his mouth to cover hers, and she melted against him. He wanted to shout when she accepted his kiss and his caresses without hesitance. He took her by the hand, walking backwards into his bedroom, and she followed.
“You’re an amazing woman.” He placed his hands on her cheeks. “I’m going to show you how much I appreciate you, and how stunning you are.” He guided her to the soft plaid comforter, and came down atop her. “All night long.”
Her hair spread in a sheet around her face, framing her high cheekbones and arched eyebrows to perfection.
“Wow, all night long?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Someone’s got stamina.”
Her playful response made him laugh. “I’ve got endless supplies, where you’re concerned.” He rained kisses on her cheeks and lips.
“Oh yeah? Endless, eh?” She grabbed his hips, locked her legs around his, and rolled him over.
They slipped, landing on the ground with a thud. He coughed and laughed. “Okay, so slightly less now.”
“Sorry. Are you all right?” Her eyes went wide, and her body tensed. She lifted her leg, but he grabbed her hips to keep her from getting off him.
“And where do you think you’re going, gorgeous?”
She smiled softly, her tension leaving as quickly as it had come, and lowered her leg. “Nowhere until you prove to me what kind of stamina you really have.”
“Ah, a challenge!” Ian ran his hand over her well-rounded hips and thighs. “And one I will gladly accept.”
He brought his thumb to the crux of her thighs, rubbing in light circles over her panties.
“Oh, you aren’t wasting any time, are you?” Brie closed her eyes, her head falling back.
Damn, she looked sizzling hot when she was turned on.
“None.” He grabbed the back of her neck, drawing her mouth down to his.
Her supple breasts rubbed against his chest. Ian swirled his thumb, and Brie moaned into his mouth, the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. She bit his lip, sucking gently before releasing it.
How had he come to find such a hot and unusual woman when he’d least expected it? She’d ended his loneliness with her honesty, despite how frightening it must have been to tell the truth. He wanted to repay her for such a wonderful gift. Wanted to give her more pleasure than any man who’d come before him. More importantly, he wanted to show her she’d chosen the right guy.
Ian held her tight, deepening the kiss, and fought to ignore the fierce desire to enter her right then. She leaned forward on her knees, her lips traveling along his jaw, and reached down to touch the growing hardness in his jeans. He drew in a breath between clenched teeth. She wasn’t making this easy.
Brie tugged at his zipper and jerked his pants and shorts down his hips. He lifted his butt to help her remove the confining material. She held him, sliding her fingertips over the smooth skin of his hard on. He moaned and stiffened, his hand still at her neck. She really wasn’t making this easy. But he would hold himself back. Even if it meant he spent the next hour thinking about baseball.
Her palms slid up his chest, and his gut clenched into a hard knot.
Pitchers, bats, balls. No not balls. Nothing round.
Ian cupped her breast and flicked a thumb over her nipple, while his other thumb continued to whirl in small circles over her moistening panties. Her fingers grazed the tip of his hard on, shooting lightening sensation down the shaft.
Batting cage. Pitcher’s mound. Damn, he knew far too little about baseball.
She sat back, gliding her palm over him.
Baseball cards.
The sexy vision Brie presented, with her flushed cheeks, panting breaths, and disheveled hair, made him grit his teeth to avoid embarrassing himself right then and there.
Rock hard gum.
Ian sat up, sucking at her nipple. He tried to ignore the throbbing and insistent pest that demanded completion as he fisted his hands to keep from lifting her and pressing her down on it.
She was so close now. Her breathing, her moans.
Any second now.
”Come for me. You’re even more beautiful when you come.”
“I want you inside me.” She leaned forward, jerking at her panties. “I need you in me when I come.”
Fingers tangled in material. They pulled, ripped. He had to be inside. He pushed past and entered her.
Oh God. So hot. So wet.
No. He’d promised her pleasure, paradise. This side of Paradise. He closed his eyes. Paradise Lost. And gritted his teeth. The Lost Continent.
Brie moaned, sliding up and down the length of him. She moved faster atop him. Started to shake. Pulling, tingling, aching. He thrust into her one final time, and pleasure rocketed through him.
She trembled, her hair wild around her shoulders like a goddess. The world blurred and went away. His Aphrodite was the only person who remained with him. And she was an Aphrodite, filled with beauty and passion.
“Wow.” She kissed him, still panting. “I
have this feeling my life will never be the same. Not now I’ve met you.”
“You can say that again.” He rolled her onto her side, holding her close.
She had no idea. His life had already changed forever, and she was the biggest and best part of the change.
Then reality set in.
Ian played a finger over Brie’s arm until her breathing turned slow and even. He’d finally been able to tell his secret, and to an amazing and sexy woman, but it didn’t stop the strange events of the past day. The happenings were harmless, for the most part, but he couldn’t help but wonder what they meant and how they—and the woman in his arms—might change his quasi-normal existence.
Chapter Five
Without his usual six o’clock alarm to wake him, Ian slept in until quarter past nine. He couldn’t believe he’d slept so long. Last night had been…unusual, to say the least. He sat up and yawned, scratching his head. Brie murmured in her sleep, but didn’t wake.
The terror of the day before had faded to an unsettling memory. He couldn’t help but be a little ashamed of the way he’d behaved. He liked to think of himself as a rational man, beyond believing in the Easter Bunny and the Boogeyman. Even the compulsion he’d felt when being intimate with Brie the first time had to have been normal. It was because he’d found her so disarming. So beautiful.
He stood, careful not to wake her, and moved his neck in a wide circle to release the kinks. Buster stepped from his bed and lengthened his body flat to the floor, stretching as far as his four legs would allow.
“Morning, Buster.” Ian rubbed the dogs back.
Buster wagged his tail in answer to the greeting. Ian switched on the television, hoping to hear the forecast for the day. “Sunny and beautiful,” said a young meteorologist who shared the same attributes. She proceeded to tell the listening public how the lovely weather would continue all through the weekend.
“Perfect, boy. It will be nice for our guest. She’s pretty great, isn’t she?” Buster whined, and Ian smiled, petting his head. “I know, I’m not supposed to be dating. I’m supposed to be working on things like rubbing your tummy and doing the gardening so you can chase rabbits.” Yanking a pen from the pad on the fridge, he scribbled,