Return To Me

by LAYLE Madison

  Without opening his eyes, he murmured, “Yes, Dominique, I love you.”

  Silence lay between them, and then he said what should never be said. “I wish I could go with you.”

  “I wish I could stay with you,” she said at the exact same time.

  The warm wetness of a tear touched his cheek, and Travis’ eyes snapped open to see her form grow brighter than the sunlight.

  Dominique saw her tear fall like a raindrop from the heavens to splash on Travis’ face. But, before she could understand the origin, a hot blast seared her. A bright light blinded her, engulfing her world. No, her mind screamed. Not yet. Give me one more moment with Travis! Please…!

  “Dominique!” Travis’ voice—that precious deep sound—seemed so far away. Almost blocked completely by the roar that filled her head.

  She cried out, her eyelids shut tight against the brilliance, her face turning away from the intensity of the noise. She gasped and felt air...warm, humid air...fill her lungs.

  The light faded. The sound vanished. And she felt a weight settle around her.

  “Dominique? My, God… Dominique!”

  She opened her eyes to see Travis, his expression filled with awe, his cheek damp and eyes glistening with moisture. He blinked and a tear escaped the corner of one eye to blaze a trail over his temple and into his dark brown, adorably tousled hair.

  Joyful that she had one more chance to see him, to touch him, she reached up to wipe the path with her thumb and saw her hand. Solid and in living color.

  Astonished, she stared while she wiggled her fingers. Then her gaze met his, and he smiled.

  “I don’t understand,” she whispered, bewildered and scared it was all a dream that would dissipate with the morning mist.

  He cradled her face between his palms, his hands shaking slightly. His eyes filled with excitement and so much love he made her ache. “We don’t have to.” He kissed her, a hot exchange of breaths, a passionate duel of warm, wet tongues.

  He was right. She didn’t need to understand why. She didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was in the arms of the man who loved her, and whom she loved with her whole heart, body, and spirit.

  Her world spun, and she gave a delighted yelp when he rolled her onto her back. His wonderful, glorious weight pushed against her as he settled his hips between her thighs.

  He propped himself up on an elbow and kept that arm, like a pillow, under her while he ran one hand lightly over her face, her neck, and lower. For the first time she could feel his flesh against hers. The texture of his fingers. She breathed deep and took in his sexy, musky scent, and then buried her nose against his throat, licked his neck, and tasted him. Her heart throbbed beneath her breasts, and when his hand stopped over one, her lungs ceased to work properly. For the first time in more than a century, she recalled what it felt like to be breathless.

  He pulled away and gazed down at her with incredible hazel eyes. “You’re more beautiful than your portrait. So...breathtaking.”

  So was he, she thought, reaching up to touch his cheek.

  He lowered his head and placed another precious kiss on her lips. She sank her fingers into his soft hair and, holding him there, turned a tender kiss into a spirited exchange of passionate emotions. She couldn’t get enough of him. He tasted like heaven. His body heat, his touch. She clung to him and moaned in delight.

  His thumb played with her nipple through the bodice of her dress, and his fingers kneaded her breast until she thought she’d die from the pleasure.

  He pulled away, breathing heavily, and she had to admit, so was she. His eyes, however, were alive and bright. A smile played on his sexy, sensual lips.

  “Sweetheart?”

  “Hmm?”

  “How do you get this damn dress off?”

  Laughter bubbled out of her until she shook with exultation. Her cheer was contagious. He joined in the hilarity, chuckling as he nuzzled her throat with lips and nose. Her stomach ached by the time her giggles subsided.

  She gave him a gentle push on the shoulder, and he dropped onto his side next to her. With a little bit of difficulty since her legs were entangled in heavy skirts, she turned to face away from him. “It buttons up the back.”

  He groaned, which caused a new bout of giggles to erupt.

  “You’re going to be the death of me,” he said, but she felt him slip the first button free.

  “Didn’t you say you liked buttons, ma cher?”

  “Not this damn many,” he quipped before playfully nipping the back of her neck. Although he complained, he turned the chore of undressing her into a lesson in erotic foreplay. With every inch he uncovered, he revealed new areas of hypersensitivity. His fingers and mouth against her skin were more seductive than she ever could have imagined. Heat pooled between her thighs, and her body tingled at his touch, throbbed, and shook with unquenched desire. By the time he tossed her last skirt to the floor, she was nothing more than a ball of nerves awaiting the spark that would ignite a firestorm of ecstasy.

  “You’re so soft,” he said as he slid his warm body over hers. “So...hot.”

  Was she ever...

  “Please, Travis. I can’t take any more.”

  “Oh, yes you can.” He kissed her mouth while one hand slipped between them, then his gentle finger tickled through her pubic hair and found her clitoris.

  Her hips lifted, her head pressed into the pillow, and her eyes shut. “Oh, ahh.”

  “Hot. And wet.” He dipped a finger into her pussy, and she forgot to breathe. In and out and in again his fingers pushed. His lips and teeth skimmed her throat. Lower, until his mouth tugged at her hard, sensitive nipples. For what felt like an eternity, he toyed with her body until she was ready to snap, and she cried out in frustrated need for more. Only then, did he enter her.

  With one full, hard thrust, he embedded his cock to the hilt, and sent her spinning into a kaleidoscope of rapturous tremors. His moan combined with the sounds of flesh on flesh as he set a steady rhythm that drove them higher than she’d ever experienced in this life or before.

  “Je t’aime!”

  He didn’t stop at her profession of love, but powered into her harder. His face was a mask of ultimate pleasure. She ran her hands over his sleek, hard muscles, his body a seductive allure she couldn’t keep from touching everywhere—his handsome face, his strong back, and his tight ass.

  She cried out as another climax overwhelmed her. Her inner muscles contracted around him until, with a loud shout, he came, pulsing hot cum deep into her womb.

  After a suspended moment, he collapsed beside her, his lungs laboring audibly as he sucked in huge quantities of air. He pulled her against him, tucked her body snug against his, and surrounded her with his arms—his very presence. And then he placed a chaste kiss to her damp forehead, murmuring, “I love you, too, my sweet Dominique.”

  Epilogue

  Eight months later

  Dominique stood on the veranda at the top of the stairs and watched the setting sun slip behind the canopy of ancient pecan trees that lined the drive to Beau Vista.

  Workers had completed renovations to the main house the week prior, and the lawn now sported fresh, vibrant landscaping. The fragrance of azaleas mixed with Magnolia blossoms—the familiar scents of home, which she usually found calming. Tonight, however, she was beyond nervous. She couldn’t help it. Lately, her emotions ran amok.

  A strange, yet anticipated, automobile pulled up the drive, and she turned to announce the arrival.

  “They’re h—”

  Travis cut her words off with the type of kiss she’d never get tired of and would always crave. It ended all too soon, however, and he turned her around to face their guests as the car rolled to a stop. He rested his chin on the top of her head and slid his hands around her expanded waist.

  “You’re shivering.”

  She tried to laugh off his observation, but couldn’t push the sound past the lump in her throat. He kissed the side of her neck.
Once, twice, and then murmured near her ear, “They’re going to love you, but never as much as I do.”

  Tears threatened to spill over her lashes, so she closed her eyes tight and squeezed his arm.

  “Hello!” came Lynn’s excited voice as she, a man who could only be her husband, Marty, and two teenage boys poured from the vehicle.

  Dominique had spoken to Travis’ sister over the phone, but that was easier than meeting his relatives face-to-face. As much as he’d reassured her that everything would be all right, she struggled with the uncertainty that weighed heavily on her from past experience. A poor black woman married to a white, very wealthy man. Would they think she was taking advantage…?

  “Hi, sis.” Travis raised a hand in greeting, gave her one more peck on the cheek, and jogged down the steps to swing Lynn off her feet in a brotherly bear hug. Her boys and husband looked on with matching smiles, which fortunately remained when their attention returned to where she stood frozen on the veranda.

  Travis shook Marty’s hand and ruffled the hair of both his nephews, then grinned broadly up at her. “Leave the bags for later,” he said, taking his sister’s hand and pulling her along with him up the stairs. The others chuckled and followed in their wake.

  The nearer they drew, the more nervous she became. She couldn’t tell whether butterflies or the baby caused the churning in her stomach.

  “Lynnette Warner,” Travis said in a playful, excited tone, “my favorite sister in the whole world... This is Dominique Moreland, the love of my life.”

  Lynn slapped her brother’s shoulder and laughed. “I’m your only sister, you jerk.” Then she turned her smile toward Dominique.

  Keeping both hands protectively over her middle, Dominique said, “Bonjour.”

  Lynn grinned and pulled her into a hug made somewhat awkward by the bulge of her belly. “Oh, I just love that accent. It’s great to finally meet you in person.”

  Like an energetic whirlwind, Travis’ sister made the rest of the introductions and put her mind at ease with the bubbly personality she’d come to expect from their phone conversations.

  A short time later, after the luggage had been hauled to the guest rooms she’d prepared for them and the kids were off exploring the property, the adults gathered in the downstairs living room.

  Travis and Marty stood near the fireplace, which wasn’t in use at present, and were engrossed in a serious philosophical debate over who would be victorious at something they called the World Series. With a sigh, she sank into a comfortable corner of the sofa, across from Lynn who sat in a recliner and sipped from a glass of lemonade.

  “I understand that sound all too well,” Lynn said with a chuckle.

  “Hmm?”

  “That sigh. I remember it from before I gave birth to Mark. Oh, the water retention and swollen ankles. Sheer torture.”

  Dominique grinned, her left hand settling over her stomach. She glanced at the simple gold band that encircled her ring finger. “I don’t mind. This is too much like a dream come true.”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask,” she heard Marty say. “Who’s the artist of that portrait? It’s fabulous.”

  Dominique’s gaze shot from Marty to the portrait of her and Thomas, then to Travis. He winked at her.

  “I’m afraid the artist passed away,” he told his brother-in-law. “But it is a remarkable piece, isn’t it? Dom and I felt it deserved a place of honor in the home.”

  “Oh, yes,” Lynn agreed. “And so ingenious of you to have it done in antebellum attire. It almost makes me feel as if I’m looking through a window to the eighteen hundreds. I expect some of our ancestors’ ghosts to come strolling in at any moment to welcome us back to the family home.”

  Dominique’s eyes widened as she looked to Travis who moved to sit by her side. He draped an arm around her shoulders, and laid his free hand over her distended belly, rubbing lightly. “Sorry to disappoint you, sis, but that won’t happen. The ghosts of the past are at peace.” He grinned at Dominique and, with an answering smile, she peered into his beautiful hazel eyes. “A St. Maurice

  descendant has returned, but it’s a whole new era at Beau Vista.”

  The End

  Author Bio

  Anna Leigh has been reading and penning romances for as long as she can remember. After she met and married her very own real-life hero, romance took on a whole new meaning. She now knows married life can sizzle and romance can be erotic—even in her own home.

  Madison Layle avoided her childhood chores on the family farm by curling up with books, and disappearing into other worlds of fantasy, adventure, and romance. With maturity came the love of her own real-life hero (a.k.a. “my darling hubby”), and a real understanding of why her parents locked their bedroom door.

  Madison and Anna Leigh first met online through a critique group, a meeting which sparked a strong friendship and a fun partnership. Together, their writing has taken on a spicier flavor, so while their hubbies are off at work, they let their imaginations soar....

  They love to hear from their readers.

  Visit them at www.annaleighkeaton.com

  www.madisonlayle.com

  or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/desires_unleashed/

  Also Available from Cobblestone Press, LLC

  Incognito: Seducing Olivia by Madison Layle & Anna Leigh Keaton

  Chapter One

  “Muchas gracias,” Olivia Chandler said to the doorman as she entered the deluxe hotel on the elegant Paseo de la Castellana. After a brief talk with the clerk, she arranged to have her suitcases stored until she called for them later, and then headed for the elevator.

  Keith Randall was in for a surprise, and she didn’t want to waste time with a bellman carrying her luggage. The thrill of seeing her fiancé intensified as the elevator ascended, and she watched the numbers increase over the door.

  By the time the doors slid open, she was almost giddy with excitement. She made a quick check of her appearance in a large gilded mirror, which hung in the hallway, before making her way to his suite. Sleeping on the plane had helped, as did the change of clothes she’d taken time to don after she landed. Her three-carat, solitaire engagement diamond winked at her as she slipped a stray strand of black hair behind her left ear.

  Keith was in Madrid on a business trip and scheduled to return stateside tomorrow. She’d called him from the transatlantic flight to make sure his plans hadn’t changed. He shouldn’t have any trouble postponing his flight to allow them a spontaneous pre-wedding honeymoon in Spain.

  Her heart raced as she held her breath and knocked. When there was no immediate response, she frowned and knocked again.

  A grumbled, “Hold on,” restored her grin. Then the door swung wide and her heart leapt into her throat.

  Keith stood with a white hotel towel draped around his trim middle, his blond hair adorably mussed. He was dry, although the sound of running water told her she’d intercepted him heading for the shower.

  God, I’m one lucky girl. She let her gaze climb over his muscular form to settle on his blue eyes, which went from half closed to wide open in an instant.

  “Olivia...” he said on a whispered breath.

  “Surprise!” She laughed and draped her arms around his neck, reveling in the feel of his solid plains against her curves, and then gave him a hard kiss.

  His fingers curled around her upper arms.

  “Whoever it is, darling, get rid of ‘em.” The woman’s voice coming from the bathroom struck Olivia like a bucket of ice water. “Mmm, hurry. The water’s just right.”

  She pushed away from Keith as shock, pain, and anger warred within her. She latched onto the cold chill that ran up her spine and let it harden her heart. Keeping her face blank, she folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. “While the cat’s away, is that it...darling?”

  Keith took her lead and met her gaze with a poker face. “What are you doing here, Olivia?”

  “I should think that’s obvious. I decided to star
t our honeymoon early, but I see you had the same idea. Only you started without me.” She slipped under his arm that held the door open. “Who is she?”

  “Goddammit.” He released the door and grabbed her arm.

  She stopped, her gaze slashing to him. “Let. Me. Go.” Her voice was flat, void of all emotion, and deadly serious.

  “That’s your fucking problem, Olivia. You want to control everything. Everyone.” But he released her arm. “Leave her alone. She didn’t know about you.”