by Day Leclaire
She caught her breath at the beauty of the platinum band hed chosen, a circlet studded with alternating diamonds, Verdonia Royals and Celestia Blushes. Before she could say a word, he bent and took her mouth in an endless kiss. It was in that timeless moment that she realized her feelings for Merrick had undergone a radical change.
And that she was in serious trouble.
Alyssa had no idea what happened immediately after the ceremony. A part of her retreated, stunned by the realization shed made when Merrick kissed her. Shed allowed feelings for him to slip beneath her guard. She cared about him.
She didnt know when or why it had happened. She didnt even know how it was possible after all theyd been through. She simply feltharmony. A rightness. A belonging. A wild passion that went deeper than anything shed ever felt for any other man. She burned with it, bled from it. Was consumed by it. And, ultimately, she turned from it, refusing to deal with the consequences of those emotions.
They returned to the house tucked into the hills overlooking Glynith, where shed first agreed to marry him. Silence reigned, neither willingor able?to speak. She entered the darkened room and stood in the middle of the living area, still dressed in her wedding finery. She removed her veil, meticulously folded it and set it on the back of the couch. And thats when all her doubts came storming back.
What have we done? Alyssa murmured.
Youre just wondering that now?
She spared Merrick a quick glance, alarmed to discover him in the process of stripping off his suit. What are you doing?
Getting comfortable. He tossed his jacket aside and approached. Would you like help getting out of your wedding gown?
She took a quick step backward. And then what? She couldnt believe shed asked the question, despite the fact that it been plaguing her for the past hour or more. I mean
I know what you meant, he replied mildly.
Im sorry. He maintained his distance, but he was still too close for comfort. Everything about him overwhelmed her, filled her with a sense of risk. I guess Im not handling this well.
His eyes grew watchful. Then chances are you arent going to handle this next part any better. A predatory smile edged his mouth. After we get out of our clothes, I plan to make you my wife in every sense of the word, even if its for only one night.
Oh God. Hed said it. Hed actually said the words. Part of her trembled with anticipation, the other with apprehension. Apprehension won. Not a chance.
I think theres every chance. You want me as much as I want you. He stepped closer. Too close. Weve shared a bed every night for almost two weeks and its been sheer torture. Do you deny it?
Were attracted to each other, she began, but the expression darkening his face had her faltering. Okay, fine. I want you. Are you satisfied? Maybe that accounted for the feelings shed experienced during the ceremony. Simple desire. Not caring. Not an emotional connection. Lust. It was the only possible explanation.
Theres only one way well both be satisfied and you damn well know it. Or are you afraid? His eyes narrowed. Is that it, Princess? Are you afraid to take the final step, afraid of what will happen if you do?
Her chin shot up. Where do you want it? Here? On the table over there, maybe? She scuffed a toe in the carpet. This looks soft enough. Maybe youd prefer it down and dirty.
Shed pushed him too far. She saw the crack in his self-control, watched as it fragmented and splintered. Before she could do more than take a single stumbling step backward, he snatched her high in his arms. Personally, I prefer the comfort of a bed.
Merrick, wait
Ive waited as long as I intend to. Tonight we finish it.
Without another word, he carried her down the short hallway and into the bedroom. The skirt of her gown flowed over his arm and trailed behind, a fluttering flag of virginal surrender. Striding to the center of the darkened room, he set her down. She took a quick, desperate look around. Even unlit, she could tell the bedroom was extremely masculinetoo masculine. She wanted lightness and femininity and romancea playful fantasy that softened the harsh reality. Thisthis was pure male. Unbridled male. Sharp and potent and darkly dangerous. Just like Merrick. She spun around, intent on escape and plowed directly into him.
Shh, he soothed, gathering her close. Easy.
Ive changed my mind. I cant. She shot an uneasy look in the direction of the bed. I just cant.
Lets see if I can help you with that. He caught her left hand in his and ran his thumb across her wedding band. It gleamed in the subdued lighting. We made promises tonight. Do you remember them?
I promised Her chin wobbled. I promised to love. To honor and cherish.
As did I. His voice deepened, turning to gravel. Dont you understand? This ring symbolizes the first chapter in a book youve set aside before even beginning. Dont leave it unread. Whats happened so far is no more than the prologue. And then what, Princess? Where does the tale go from there?
Her breathing grew harsh, labored. Nowhere.
Thats not true and you know it. It can go anywhere you want. We create the story. We determine the direction. We can even start over if you want and rewrite the beginning. He lifted her hand and kissed her ring. Or we can move in a new direction. Start fresh on a new page. The choice is yours.
What about your choices? She laced her fingers with his, turning their locked hands into the moonlight streaming through the windows. His wedding band splintered the gentle glow, shooting off sparks of silver and gold. What happens to you when this is all over?
He hesitated for the briefest moment. My choices are more limited.
What do you mean?
This can only have one ending for me. Von Folke will see to that.
Alyssas vision blurred. You mean jail.
Most likely. He brushed her cheek with his thumb, erasing the tears she hadnt been able to control. A cloud drifted across the moon, casting their rings into shadows. The glitter dimmed, then winked out. A prediction of their future? Look at me, Alyssa.
She did as he demanded and saw the calm certainty in his gaze. Im not afraid to make love to you. The truth came tumbling out. Im afraid of what will happen afterward. What itll do to us. How itll change us.
Trust me.
Those two simple words hung between them. And then the clouds passed and moonbeams once again pierced the dimness, stabbing the room with tines of silver. He stepped back from her into one of the shards, the moons gilding leeching him of all color. Only the blacks and whites and grays remained, shades of darkness and light, of ambiguity and clarity.
Without a word, he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off his shoulders. It dropped into shadow. Holding her with his gaze, he unzipped his trousers, the metallic sound harsh and grating in the silence of the room. His trousers parted and her mouth went dry. She could barely think above the fierce pounding of her heart. In one fluid motion, he stripped away the last of his clothing before drawing himself to his full height. Totally nude, sculpted by the moonlight, he made for an impressive sight. He stood motionless, allowing her to look her fill.
He had one of the most spectacular physiques shed ever seen. His shoulders and arms were powerfully masculine, able to bear the heaviest of weights. And yet it struck her that those same arms would also be gentle enough to cradle a helpless infant. The dichotomy moved her more deeply than she thought possible. Her gaze dipped lower, to a chest lightly furred with crisp brown hair just deep enough to sink her fingers into. A narrow line speared downward, like spilled ink, splitting washboard abs on its path to his groin. He was fully aroused, yet made no effort to act on that arousal.
Why are you doing this? she whispered.
So you can see you have nothing to fear. His gaze grew tender. Whatever you want, its yours.
Just tonight. She choked on the words. It can only be for tonight. You know that, dont you?
Then its just for tonight. He stepped from the light into darkness, finding her where the gloom held her ensnared. But when tomorrow comes, you may dis
cover that one night isnt enough.
She wanted what he offered, but fear and uncertainty froze her in place. Tomorrow doesnt belong to us. Youve already warned me about that. Von Folke
Will be dealt with. And who knows, perhaps itll all work out. He planted his feet and spread his arms wide, an oak of a manstrong and sturdy and protective. His heart and soul was rooted deep in the soil of Verdonia, a fact she envied more than she could have believed possible. Just come with me. Stay with me. Take a chance.
His words sang with endless promise, bewitching her, offering to turn dreams into reality. She gave in to their enchantment. She stepped into his arms and fell from darkness into light.
Alyssa slid her hands across Merricks chest in a quiet prelude to their mating dance. For the first few minutes they barely touched, just a tentative brush of hands. A whisper of a kiss. Lips joining. Clinging. Parting. Then rejoining. The soft exhalation of desire across heated skin.
This time she was the one wearing too many clothes and she fought to curb her impatience. She didnt want anything separating them, nothing that would prevent them from touching flesh to flesh. And yet, this wasnt an occasion to hurry. She wanted to linger over each and every step, to sear into her memory every moment as it happened.
He found the cloth buttons holding her gown in place, and one by one released them. She lifted her arms, savoring the drag of flesh-warmed silk followed by the cool sweep of air. Her slip came next, skating down her hips to pool at her feet. He dropped to his knees, lifting first one foot free, then the other, leaving her standing in nothing but a bra and thong. Sliding his hands around her thighs, he held her steady as he trailed feather-light kisses from knee to thigh, wandering ever higher until hed reached the shadowed apex.
His breath was warm through the triangle of silk that concealed her. Hooking his fingers into the elastic band at her hips, he tugged. Her panties drifted downward, seeming to vanish of their own volition. And then he took her, his kiss the most intimate shed ever received. She threw back her head and dug her fingers into his hair, her throat working frantically.
Easy, Princess, Merrick murmured against her. We have all the time in the world.
Okay. Fine. I just She shuddered. I need to finish getting naked. I need to finish getting naked right now. And then I need you naked on top of me. Or under. Im not particular.
She felt his smile against her heated flesh. I can help with that.
All of a sudden she didnt want to savor each moment. She wanted to seize every last one, burn through each second in a swift, glorious blaze. She couldnt handle slow, let alone leisurely. Fast and desperate appealed far more.
Hurry. He slid his hands from her thighs upward, cupping her, and she practically danced in place. No, I mean it. Hurry!
But he didnt hurry. Instead, he parted her with his thumbs and blew ever so gently, a mere whisper of sensation before he kissed her again. And that was all it took. She exploded in his arms, unraveling helplessly. A keening wail built in her throat, trapped there for an endless moment before escaping. She hung, suspended in paradise until finally her knees gave out and she collapsed into his waiting arms.
Merrick swept her up, carried her to the bed and spread her across a velvet-soft bedspread. Why? Alyssa demanded.
He didnt pretend to misunderstand. It gave you pleasure. His hand slid behind her back and released her bra. And that gave me pleasure.
In that case, prepare yourself, she warned him as he tossed the scrap of silk outside the oasis of the bed. Your pleasure quotient is about to go through the roof. Im going to see to that.
Rising to her knees, she slid her arms around his neck and kissed him, a hard, urgent, open-mouthed kiss. To her amazement, desire flamed again, thrumming through her with stunning urgency. It was as though the past several minutes had never happened, as though this was the first time theyd touched, the first time theyd kissed, the first time theyd shared a moment of intimacy. She pressed closer and wrapped herself around him. It was like sliding into a pool of molten heat.
Merrick groaned. Youre killing me, Princess.
I dont want to kill you, not unless its to love you to death.
He tipped her onto her back. I think I can live with that.
Her quick laugh must have provided him with a beacon to her mouth because he honed in on her parted lips with pinpoint accuracy. Sealing them with his own, he drank her in. First fast and needy, then slow and tender, before haste consumed them in a frantic burst of uncontrollable hunger. He snatched a final swift kiss and began sampling her as though she were a buffet of delicacies spread out for his tasting pleasure. Her shoulders. Her neck. Followed by the painfully sensitive tips of her breasts. He ignored her urgent pleas, feasted there while his hands took over, touching, probing, teasing, wallowing in a banquet of tactile indulgence.
The tension grew within her again. Desperate. Demanding. Frenzied. An explosion building toward a new eruption. She shoved at his shoulders, forcing him to give ground. Stabbing her fingers into his hair, she pulled him back to her mouth, consumed him in one fierce, biting kiss before wriggling her hands between them. She found him, fully aroused, steel wrapped in velvet. Scissoring her legs around him, she pulled him inward. Took him. Absorbed him.
Loved him.
He surged to the very core of her, hard and heavy, almost painfully so. She could feel him trying to hold back, to ease his passage into her body and she arched, her muscles drawn taut.
Dont stop. The breath burned in and out of her lungs. Even if it kills me. Even if it kills you. Just dont ever stop.
He moved then, mating their bodies in a primal give and take, stroking to the harmony of their own private song. Fire burst all around them, flames licking at her skin, burning through her blood, gnawing at her bones. She could see the brilliance of it, hear its angry crackle, feel the heat exploding within. A scream built, clawing at her throat. She could sense the release approach, more powerful than anything shed felt before. It slammed into her, the power of it smashing through every barrier. She flew apart, disintegrating into pieces so small they could never be gathered up again.
From a great distance she heard a voice. The voice of her soul mate. Alyssa. That single word whispered through the air, barely audible. And yet, it did the impossible.
It brought her home.
Merrick woke to complete darkness, uncertain what had disturbed him. It only took an instant to realize what it was. His arms were empty and his bed cold. He sat up, searching the darkness for Alyssa.
The curtains by the balcony stirred, alerting him to her whereabouts. Tossing aside the tangled sheet, he padded nude across the room. The French door to the balcony stood ajar and he stepped outside into the soft, dewy air. He found Alyssa there, leaning against the railing, the bathrobe shed wrapped around herself fluttering in the breeze. She gazed out at the city where the full moon dipped low in the sky. Its silvery lifes blood flowed across Celestia, a river of light pouring across her homeland.
He knew the instant she became aware of him. Without a word, she untied the robe and allowed it to slip off her shoulders. He came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, tugging her close. Flesh slid against flesh, warm and vibrant and life-affirming. Alyssa twisted in his arms, grasping his shoulders. Cupping her bottom, he lifted her and in one easy thrust, sheathed himself in her heat. Turning, he braced her against the French door.
Then slowly, ever so slowly, he moved with her to a rhythm only the two of them could hear. She arched in reaction, drawing his hands to her breasts, tilting her head back against the cool glass in silent ecstasy. The moonlight painted her with a loving brush, turning her skin luminescent. She glowed with an unearthly passion, a passion that pierced him to the soul. Consumed him. Threatened to destroy him. They clung to each other, riding to the edge, teetering there, poised on the brink of an endless fall. She gathered him up with moonlit eyes, before leaning in and pressing her lips to his ear.
Youre right, she whispered
. One nights not enough.
And then she exploded in his arms.
Eight
M errick woke early the next morning. Pre-dawn light eased into the room, gilding his wife in a soft, rosy glow.
His wife.
Just the thought filled him with pure masculine possessiveness. Alyssa was his woman, joined to him in every way possible. When hed first suggested marriage, it had been with the thought of forming an alliance. A contract. Hed wanted her, he couldnt deny that. But it had been a purely physical want, nothing more. Hed intended for their wedding night to consummate their contract, to close all legal loopholes. Now he wasnt as certain of his motivations.
He closed his eyes. Damn. What was he going to do? Their relationship didnt have a hope in hell of succeeding. Too many factors interfered. Little things such as he lived in Verdonia and she in the States. Hed abducted her and put her mother at risk. Most problematic of all, he was headed for prison, she for a new job in New York City. Not the most promising foundation for a successful marriage.
The early morning light strengthened, a warning that time was passing. As much as he hated the idea, he should leave. Hed made a promise to his wife, a promise to rescue her mother immediately after their marriage, and come hell or high water, hed honor that promise.
Yet as urgently as he needed to head out, he gave himself a few final minutes to study the sleeping face of his wife. From the first, hed found her beauty startling. In an aesthetic sense, it was. But in the weeks hed known her, hed found her character even more beautiful, giving depth and dimension to the physical.
He leaned over and kissed her, lingering, slipping within. She moaned, her mouth softening, parting, responding even in her sleep. Her eyes flickered opened, reflecting the sunlight, the color deepening to the sultry blue of a warm summer sky.
Good morning. Dreams still clung to her voice, filling it with a delicious huskiness. Youre awake early.