I slid the silk blouse off her shoulders, then reached around to unhook her bra, baring her breasts.
“I’ve never loved a woman so deeply before,” I whispered.
Katherine leaned down and kissed me, softly. We came in unison, quietly, gently. It was more of a contented sigh than a scream, more of a whisper than a roar. It was heaven.
“You keep surprising me,” said Katherine before climbing out of bed. She went straight to the bathroom.
“Good.” I followed her, but hesitated outside the door. “Do you want to marry me?”
I heard the toilet flush, then the water in the sink run. I was about to ask if she’d heard my question when she emerged from the bathroom.
“I can’t believe that you asked me to marry you while I was sitting on the toilet.”
She walked back over to the bed, slid between the covers, then rolled over.
“I take that as a no then? So, is this good-bye sex kitten, hello moody pregnant woman again? Maybe we should work out a signal of some sort.”
“That wasn’t a real proposal. That was just the endocrine talking.”
I turned out the lights and crawled into bed, stretching out alongside of her. “The endocrine, huh?” I tried not to smile.
“Yes.” Katherine turned to face me. “So, Mom, tell me the story about when Daddy proposed. Well, you see, first we had wild monkey sex, then after we shook the rafters of his house I got up to use the bathroom.”
“I get it.”
“Do you?”
I leaned in and kissed her on the nose. “Yes. And, just for the record, it wasn’t the endocrine.”
“Really?” Katherine shifted closer to me.
“I’m fairly certain. I think you mean endorphin, the neurochemical connected to the production of sex hormones. It’s like an opiate, an analgesic.”
“Wes?”
“Yes, kitten?”
“No one likes a smarty pants and you’re not making the story any better.”
“Perhaps I should just be quiet then. Throw in the towel and admit defeat for tonight.”
“Probably.”
“If I were to ask again sometime, really nicely, of course, do you think you might say yes?”
“Hypothetically?”
“Absolutely, hypothetically.” I spooned up against her and rubbed small circles across her tummy.
“I would get to spend the rest of my life with you?”
My hand moved up to her breast and gave it a gentle squeeze. “That would be the general idea.”
“I think I better sleep on it.”
“Ouch.” I removed my hand as if I’d been stung. “You, Miss Lawson, have a mean streak! I think I better sleep on it!”
Katherine chuckled. “I love you, Wesley Atherton.”
“Yeah? Well, I love you more, you crazy bint.”
“Promise me the world isn’t really ending?”
“Darling, for us, it’s just beginning,” I promised her. Then I kissed her on the top of her head, held her in my arms until she fell asleep and prayed that what I’d promised was the truth.
Chapter Seventeen
“Charles? I need you to come over.”
“Do you realize that it’s four in the morning?”
“Yes.” I poured myself a cup of coffee. “I know what time it is. I’ve got to go into the office today and there’s an errand I have to take care of first. I know you weren’t going to come over until eight, but this was unexpected.”
“Why don’t I just run the errand on the way in?”
“No. I just need you to stay in the house for a bit. Just a half an hour, an hour tops. Then you can come back at eight, like we planned if you want. Come on, Charles, be a sport. I’ve just got to run down to O’Brien’s. I don’t want to leave Katherine alone.”
“O’Brien’s? The florist? Wes, they don’t even open until nine.”
“I called. Sheila’s opening up for me.” I added some sugar to my coffee and stirred.
“Do I even want to know how you managed that?”
“Are you getting dressed?”
“Yes, for heaven’s sake. I’m getting dressed.”
“I told her that I’d get you to ask out her eldest, Henrietta. She’s looking better since she’s dropped some of the weight. She still has the third nipple though, according to her mum. But really, no one need know about that. I’ll never tell.”
“Wes?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m on my way. You need to switch to decaf, okay?”
“Right.” I poured the contents of my cup down the sink.
I quietly surveyed the room in satisfaction, then pulled open the curtains, letting the early morning sun stream inside. I’d bought every red rose that the O’Brien’s had and had spent the last hour creating a path from the dining room back up the stairs to the bedroom. I paused in the door, looking back and committing the vision to memory. The velvet soft and deeply red petals were scattered across my pillow, across the bedroom floor and out the door.
Katherine began to stir. So I quickly slipped out and ducked into my office.
“Wes?”
I peered out into the hallway and watched as she tiptoed down the stairs. I waited until I thought she’d made it to the dining room before quietly following.
I’d set the table for one. It was covered in a tablecloth of roses and the only contrast was the single white plate containing a sheet of paper. Katherine pulled out the chair and sat down. Then she picked up the sheet of paper, unfolded it and read the contents aloud.
“The face of all the world is changed, I think, since first I heard the footsteps of thy soul.”
“You’ve completely ruined me, you know.”
“Wes.”
I went to her then and knelt by her side. “No other woman will ever satisfy me now. You make me feel things I didn’t know were even possible. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“I’m not done yet, love.”
“Sorry.” She picked up the linen napkin and dabbed at her eyes.
“I love you with all my heart and soul and, if you’ll let me, I’ll spend eternity worshipping you. Marry me, Katherine.”
I opened the small black velvet box and held it out to her in my outstretched palm.
“Oh!” A sob escaped her lips and she lifted the napkin up to cover her face.
“No good? I thought it was far better than the bathroom proposal.”
Katherine uncovered her face and slipped the ring onto her finger, then began to fan herself. “It was really good. Really it was. Really, really.”
“Those are happy tears?”
She nodded. “I don’t want to cry. I’ll be all puffy and that’s how you’ll remember this.”
I pulled out the chair next to her and took her hand in mine.
“So, is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
“Yes!”
Katherine looked down at her hand. “It’s a beautiful ring. How on earth did you pull this off?”
“If you must know, I woke up the lady who owns the neighborhood florist at four this morning and convinced her to open up for me. The ring I had.”
“Was it your mother’s?”
“Nah,” I said, “I bought it for myself one day when I was feeling particularly blue. I like to slip it on and dance in front of the mirror singing ‘I Feel Pretty’.”
“How much coffee have you had?”
“Far too much,” said Charles as he walked into the dining room carrying a fresh pot for Katherine. “I cut him off hours ago. This is decaffeinated, of course.” He set the pot on the table, then slipped back out.
“I’ll be honest with you. The ring’s only a carat and it has some flaws. I can do better. We can go and pick something out together if you want. It was my mum’s. When Dad gave it to her, well, it seemed like a fortune to him at the time.”
“No.” Katherine shook her head. “It’s perfect. I love you.”
�
��I love you too, baby.” I checked the time. “I hate to say this, but I’ve got to get to the office. Charles will stay with you today. I’ll be home around seven. You going to be all right?”
“I’ve never been more all right.”
I paused, not quite sure it was the right time to make my request. She caught my hesitation.
“What is it?”
“I want to do this quickly, and in the church.”
“How quickly?”
“As quickly as possible. I’ve made an appointment to speak with the vicar tomorrow. I’m going to tell him that you’re pregnant and see if he thinks the Bishop will issue us a common license. You’re not a British subject so I expect it’ll be approved.”
“And if it isn’t?”
“Then we’ll have to wait a few weeks. They normally announce banns in church for three Sundays before the marriage. It’s routine, but not absolutely necessary.”
“I don’t know what that is. What church are we talking about?”
“The Church of England, love. I was thinking St. Mary’s.”
“Why did you propose to me, Wes?”
“Thought we covered that.”
“You don’t need to do this to protect me, to protect us. That’s not a good reason for two people to get married.”
She sounded strong and sure.
“I know.” I pulled her into my arms. “It’s all a bloody ruse you know, the ghosts, all that end-of-the-world talk. I mean, when all is said and done, you and I both know exactly why I want to marry you.”
“And that would be?”
“I. Love. You.”
Katherine smiled. “Right. Just checking.”
“Call your mum. Charles will take you shopping for a dress.”
Chapter Eighteen
I arrived home shortly after seven as planned. No sooner had I entered the house and Spike was hopping up and clawing at my pants leg.
“Down, Spike.”
I shed my coat and opened the closet door to retrieve a hanger. Before I had a chance to register what was happening I was pushed into the closet from behind.
As the door clicked shut and I was shrouded in darkness, my senses kicked into overload. I promptly dropped my coat and gripped the hanger tightly in my hand. Then I smelled her.
“Katherine?”
“Shh. Quiet.”
“Why are we in the closet?” I whispered, dropping the hanger.
“It’s private.” She murmured the words into the shell of my ear, then she reached for my belt and tugged me closer. “I couldn’t wait to get you to the bedroom. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
“Have you now?”
She worked quickly, even in the darkness. With deft hands she unfastened my belt and unzipped my trousers. I found myself holding my breath as she eagerly pushed my pants and boxers down over my hips. I was on my way to being hard; what she did next cinched it for me. She took my cock in her hand and dropped to her knees. My only regret was that it was too dark in the closet to see her.
“You’re already hard for me.” I could feel the pulse of her breath, followed by the smooth caress of her cheek as she lovingly ran it across the head of my cock.
I swallowed, every fiber of my being tense with anticipation.
“So soft and so hard at the same time.” She swiped her tongue up my length, just one long, luxurious lick.
“Oh, Christ!”
“Shh.” Katherine squeezed her hand firmly around the base and tilted me toward her mouth. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back while she bathed my cock with her tongue.
“You’re going to kill me.”
She took me all the way in, her lips sliding down to the root. I bit down on my lip to suppress a cry of pleasure.
I tried to stay focused, quiet, in control. But the way Katherine was bobbing up and down, increasing suction, devouring my cock, was making it impossible. I was starting to feel light-headed, dizzy. I grabbed hold of the wooden bar behind me with one hand as my knees began to weaken. At the same time I reached down with my other hand and laced my fingers through her long blonde locks.
“It feels so fucking good, baby.”
“Mmm.” She moaned and it made her throat rumble slightly.
“Suck it!” It came out louder than I intended. I was beginning to forget myself, forget everything, everything but the increasing pressure in her warm, wet, delicious mouth. “That’s it. God, I love your mouth!”
She was using her spit to her advantage now, letting it run down my cock and into her hand. She was working hard, spreading it so that I was nice and slick. The sensations were becoming overwhelming. I was right on the verge, right on the edge.
“If you don’t stop, I’m going to scream.”
“Do it, I want to hear you scream.” She shifted her attention from my cock to my balls, rolling first one, then the other in her mouth.
It took a few seconds for her words to penetrate through the lust-filled fog of my mind. “You want them to hear?”
“Who?”
“Whoever’s out there?”
“It’s just you and me, baby.” Katherine swiped her tongue up along the underside one more time before swirling it about my now-weeping head. “Come for me.”
“There’s no one here?” It was taking me an embarrassingly long time to catch on, I know.
“Just me, Wes. Only me. And I’m all naked. Naked and naughty and wanting you to come all over me.”
That’s all it took. I threw open the closet door, flooding the space with light, then I came with a roar, shooting my come across her breasts again and again.
I pulled Katherine to her feet then reached down and dragged my fingers through the milky fluid, spreading it over her bare breasts and belly. As my breathing began to return to normal I stepped out of the closet and leaned against the open door.
“You are a bad, bad girl.”
“And, I’m all sticky.”
“Who cares?”
Before she could finish her sentence, I’d pulled her to me, crushing my mouth to hers in an urgent kiss.
“You’re bloody brilliant!” I shouted out as I pulled away. “Marry me!”
“I already said yes, silly.” She looked down at her torso. “I’m thinking I could use a bath before dinner.”
“Baby, you can have whatever you want. That was inspired.”
“Really? I was okay?”
Her question shocked me. “Okay? Are you kidding me?”
“No.” She blushed a pretty shade of pink. “I’ve never wanted to do that before.”
“No?” I picked up the robe she’d discarded earlier and held it out so she could slip into it.
“No.”
“But you wanted to tonight?”
She nodded, turning to face me. “I was thinking about you, about that kiss, about what might please you.”
“You please me.” I took her face in my hands and kissed her lips softly.
Confusion marred her brow. “So blowjobs don’t really do it for you? I thought all guys had a thing for blowjobs.”
“Don’t get me wrong! Christ! As far as I’m concerned you could blow me every day and twice on Sundays!”
“Wes!” Katherine covered her face in embarrassment.
“I’m just saying that whatever we do in the bedroom, or in the closet, needs to be something we both enjoy and are comfortable with. It seemed like you were enjoying yourself, yeah?”
“Yeah. But it’s new. I feel a little uncertain.”
“Well, you know, I’d happily suffer through as many practice sessions as you think you need.”
“Suffer through!” Katherine threw herself at me and began to tickle my side. Suddenly it occurred to me that she’d said we were alone. She wasn’t supposed to be alone. Quickly sobering, I stilled her hands.
“Where’s Charles?”
“Gone.”
“Gone?”
Katherine gave me a peck on the cheek. “Don’t go getting mad. He slip
ped out the back door when we saw you coming up the walk. We had fun today, by the way. Charles is teaching me how to cook. We made a Bolognese sauce.”
“You don’t know how to cook? But, you made dessert the other night.”
“You mean the boxed brownie mix? I added some water, two eggs and stirred. That’s not cooking. I want to be able to really cook. Moms are supposed to be able to do that sort of thing. I’m going to take a quick bath, then I’ll throw the pasta in.”
“Sounds good. Let me grab a drink. I’ll keep you company.” I made my way over to the bar in the living room and poured myself a scotch. “Did you find a dress?”
“No. Everything made me look fat. Why do wedding gowns have to be white? Why can’t they be black? Black is slimming. Guys get to wear black.”
“So, wear black if you want. I don’t care what you wear.”
“So, you think I’m fat?”
“I think you’re beautiful, desirable and sexy. I don’t care if you get as big as this soddin’ house. How I see you? That’s not going to change.”
Spike’s whimpering woke me. I bolted upright in bed, coughing. Acrid smoke had begun to fill the room. I rubbed my eyes.
“Katherine! Wake up!” I slipped from the bed onto the floor, pulling Katherine with me. She started to cough and sputter.
“What is it?”
“Fire. Stay here, stay low.”
I crawled over to the bedroom door. Flames were hungrily licking up the length of the hallway, blocking our path to the stairs. I shut the door against the smoke, then grabbed my robe and stuffed it under the crack to prevent more from seeping in.
“Can we get out?”
I crawled over to the window. “Not that way.” I threw open the sash and the smoke that had been hovering in the room rushed out. The sound of approaching sirens pierced the silence of the night.
“Put this on.” I handed Katherine her robe.
She glanced back at the door. “How bad is it?”
“We don’t have much time.” I quickly slipped into a pair of jeans and grabbed my boots. “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to get us out of here.”
“Wes! You all right?”
I ran over to the window and looked out. Will Carlton was standing alone in the courtyard, looking up at me.
The Sacrifice: Forbidden, Book 1 Page 16