by Debi Wilder
Nodding his head, he took her hand in his and kissed its palm. “Yes,” he whispered into its softness.
She smiled shyly, warming his heart and giving it hope. “I really don’t know how or why. I was reading a book of erotic Victorian stories I’d found tucked away in what is your bedchamber. Every story was about a man who looked just like you; it sparked my fantasy button. One day you walked into the shop, then disappeared out into the street.
“That same night you visited me in my bedroom, began to make love to me in a way I’ve never experienced before. At the time I thought I’d gone into fantasy overload, but it really was you, wasn’t it?” she asked, leaning into his chest.
Garrett tipped her chin toward him, “Yes, my love, it was me.” He kissed her with a tenderness he hadn’t felt in over a hundred years.
Cassandra kissed him back with the need of a woman who knew it could be one of their last. What forces of nature brought her here could just as easily take her away without warning.
“Make love to me, Garrett,” she whispered. “Bring back those memories you talk of.”
She ran her hand up the inside of his thigh and over the growing bulge between his legs. He moaned, shifting his hips into her palm…it was all the encouragement she needed.
Stretching her naked body along the length of his, Cassandra made feather-light circles over his cock. Feeling it grow and pulse under her touch brought a powerful sense of being to her heart. If nothing else, sexually he was made for her.
Garrett slid his hand over a breast, tweaking the nipple between his fingers. A light moan escaped and she softly pushed away his hand.
“Not this time, my love,” she said between kisses. “This time I’m in charge.”
Seeing the flames of desire flicker in his eyes, she wrapped her hand around his cock and began stroking until it became hard and throbbing.
Satisfied with what she’d accomplished, she left a trail of kisses down his chest until she reached the forest of pubic hair surrounding his dick. With his rod still in her hand, she licked the length of it with her tongue, relishing the dapple of pre-cum settling on its tip.
“Cassandra,” he moaned, moving his hips in rhythm with her suckling mouth.
Giving his dick one last long suck, she slithered back up his chest. “Yes, my love, you called?”
Garrett took her face in his hands, pulling her to meet his lips. Her tongue met his in a mating dance of fire and passion. She straddled his hips, his engorged cock sliding easily into her waiting pussy. She heard herself whimper with pleasure as she filled her cavern with his entire length.
Their slow and deliberate rocking motion increased as the moments passed. Fire and wicked passion flooded them as they rocked harder and faster.
Garrett pulled her down to him again, kissing her hard. Knowing they were both on the verge of cuming, he run his hands over Cassandra’s ass and spanked her hard.
Crying out, they came hard, pumping each other until every drop of their juices was spent on each other.
Chapter 13
Garrett lay with Cassandra nestled in his arms, the moon’s light dancing off her golden hair. Her light breathing told him she was fast asleep, peaceful next to him. Her body warmed him clear to his heart, filling it with love and life.
Had the prophecy been fulfilled as promised? Was he once again human after having found the love of a woman? If not, he’d find a way to stay with Cassandra through her days. One way or another, they’d be together…as they were meant to be from the beginning of time.
He looked back on his life over the past hundred years with remorse. How many young women had he taken advantage of with his teachings? Not once did he give them full satisfaction that they’d pleased him in their awkward attempts to do so. Oh, they finished their lessons feeling they’d be able to keep their husbands in their beds, when in reality high society probably wouldn’t allow it. In some secret circles a man was judged by the number of mistresses and outlandish sexual escapades he accomplished in his life, especially his married life.
Garrett was different from the high brow society who frequented his door. He felt no pleasure in his teachings, nor did he take any…giving only what was required in the lesson. It had been part of the pact he’d made until he found his true love in order to become human again. He didn’t know she’d been waiting hundreds of years in the future for him to claim her.
Lightly kissing the top of her head Garrett slipped out from under Cassandra, pausing when she stirred slightly. He gently left the bed and padded across the room to the door. He needed to stretch and think of a way for them to be together...a search through his papers and a tanker of ale may help to do just that.
Garrett closed the door behind him, then lit a lamp near the fireplace. Searching among the shelves of boxed chocolates, he came upon the hidden door housing the unnatural contract. He’d almost forgotten where he’d hidden the document, it had been so long since he’d last seen it let alone touched it.
Pouring himself a tanker, he then sat on the settee and began to read the creased parchment when a loud commotion outside the shop door drew his attention. Dousing the light, he walked to the window to investigate.
He pulled back the curtain and the window shattered into a million pieces. Garrett jumped out of the way when another quickly followed the brick that had been thrown first.
What the hell is going on?
“Break it down. The murderer is in there and I want his blood now!”
Lord Claybrook!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The door to his shop flew open and a battering ram burst through. Several of Claybrook’s men rushed in with Claybrook close behind.
Garrett stepped in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. “What gives you the right to break in here? I hope you have good cause, Claybrook.”
“I would say the murder of my Vanessa is cause enough, wouldn’t you, Alexander?” Claybrook accused, taking shelter behind his armed men.
Vanessa dead? Confusion rushed through Garrett’s mind. The last time he’d seen her she was very well and full of life. She’d been very anxious to return to her husband and their bed, proud of what she’d accomplished in so little time.
“If she’s been murdered, as you indicate, I’d say you’re looking to the wrong man.” Garrett stood his ground in front of Claybrook. No one was going to come in here and wrongly accuse him of anything, much less murdering an innocent. He may be a lot of things, a cold blooded murderer wasn’t one of them.
Claybrook took a small step toward Garrett then quickly retracted. “She was found bound to our bed, Alexander. Not a bit of clothing covering her body, only bruises left from a pair of hands around her neck.”
Garrett’s stomach bolted in revolt. He could swear bondage hadn’t been Vanessa’s idea of sexual pleasure. It was certainly something he rarely gave lessons in for this precise reason…in the heat of passion it could easily go too far.
“Maybe you ought to look to yourself, Claybrook. After all, your taste for unusual sex escapades is well known in certain circles. Are you sure you didn’t persuade her into something she didn’t want to partake in and it want a little too far?” Garrett accused, glancing quickly to his bedchamber door. He placed himself between the door and the mob in front of him. He thought he’d heard Cassandra moving about a minute ago. If they had murder on their minds, he’d make sure it wasn’t Cassandra’s.
A flicker of orange light caught his eye. Looking outside the shop door several men with torches milled around the opening, creeping closer then he was comfortable with.
Panic ran cold in his veins, could it be happening all over again? “Don’t you think your men outside are getting a little too close, Claybrook?”
“Not in the least. Once we have you in custody, they’ve been instructed to burn this place to the ground,” Claybrook announced, a smile widening across his face. “Then your little ‘chocolate shop’ will be no more and you’ll never hurt any of our wo
men again.”
Garrett’s heart sank further into his stomach, making room for the anger and frustration about to reach their boiling points. His earlier feeling had been right, something was about to happen.
“You conveniently have forgotten you paid for the lessons of instruction I provided to your young, inexperienced wife. Bondage is an act not everyone has a taste for, Claybrook, and Vanessa was such a person. She preferred the romantic, loving touch that you obviously lacked to provide her.”
“I’ve tired of your lies and excuses,” Claybrook snarled. “Take him prisoner now!”
Claybrook’s men quickly surrounded Garrett. Taking him by force, several of them pushed and dragged him out the door and into the street.
“Burn it to the ground!” The words pierced through the wooden door like a knife.
I’ve got to get out of here. Cassandra ran to the window and pushed, praying it would provide her an escape route. Pushing and pulling the window, it stayed in place without budging an inch.
No, not again! she silently cried out, racing over to the door she opened it a crack. Some men stood outside the shop door struggling to keep Garrett in their hold. Both storefront windows lay in shattered pieces on the floor, and a flicker of flames came closer.
There was nowhere for her to run. No place to hide. After all Garrett told her about their past life together it seemed as if history was going to repeat itself. This time she wouldn’t be burned at the stack, instead she’d be trapped inside a burning building.
“There’s a woman inside, Claybrook,” Garrett’s voice boomed through the cracked door. “If you burn this place down you’ll be guilty of murder yourself.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. The only man who could love her fought for her life outside and she couldn’t do anything about it. If she tried to help him, it could make matters worse.
Worse? What could be worse than being burned alive? Been there done that…don’t wanna go there again.
Opening the door wider, she took a step into the main room. Garrett broke free of the men and ran into the shop toward her.
“No!” she screamed, seeing a couple of the men raise their pistols. As he reached the door a blast rang out. Side-stepping to the left, Garrett plummeted into the door. The bullet whizzed past Cassandra’s arm, missing her by mere inches.
“Cassandra!” he cried out in pain, landing in her outstretched arms.
Blood flowed from his back as well as his chest from the point where his heart would be. They held each other tight, her body becoming a crimson red.
Tears streaming down her cheeks, a shadow of blackness enveloped her.
“Yours forever, Garrett,” she whispered onto his lips, falling into the cloud of darkness.
Garrett fell to the floor in a pool of his own blood. Claybrook’s men picked him up, dragging him to the center of the room. He didn’t have the strength to fight back, he knew he was dying.
“Cassandra…” her name barely a whisper off his lips.
“No one here, Sir.” A voice from somewhere in the distance echoed through his mind.
“You’re certain there’s no woman hiding here? I thought I saw a woman standing in the door.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good, it appears he was only trying to save his own hide by attempting to escape. Get him ready to take to the authorities.” Claybrook instructed, the sound of his boots falling heavy as he walked across the floor.
“On second thought, leave him here to die. Empty the register of its cash. When someone finally finds him, it’ll look like he was killed in an attempted robbery. No sense in bringing down more suspicion upon my good name.” The sound of boots scuffed across the floorboards, followed by groans of agreements.
Garrett floated in slow motion, hitting the wooden floor with a thud. A soft, white glow came into his view, lifting him from his body into the air. His last conscious thought was that of Cassandra.
Chapter 14
“Thank God.”
Paige? Cassandra fought through the blackness lifting from her mind.
“CJ, wake up. Please wake up.”
Her eyes opened slowly, allowing a little of the room’s light in. The brightness stung only a bit, catching her off guard. She covered her eyes with her hands.
“Paige?” she asked, afraid she’d only imagined her best friend’s voice. Maybe it’s best not to move, lord only knows what’s waiting for me.
The sound of Paige’s laughter filled the room. Cassandra moved her hands, staring into Paige’s tear soaked face.
“Who else, CJ?” Paige asked between sniffles. “When you fainted downstairs I didn’t know what to do.”
“Fainted?” Confused, Cassandra searched her mind as to why she would have fainted. Garrett!
Her own tears seeped from her eyes. She had to know if he was dead or alive, even though common sense told her he had to be dead. No one could survive a bullet through the heart, not even Garrett.
“The doctor said you might not remember what had happened.” A wave of guilt spread over Paige’s face.
Cassandra pushed herself into a sitting position. Something was wrong…Paige never looked guilty or scared about anything.
“What’s up, Paige? You look like the one who needs to be in bed, not the other way around.”
Handing her a glass of water, Paige pulled a chair up next to the bed. “Sure you want to know?”
“Go ahead, Paige…nothing you say is going to surprise me at this point in my life.” Isn’t that the truth.
Taking a deep breath, Paige scooted closer the Cassandra. “Yesterday afternoon I walked into the shop and you were standing by the shelf of vibrators. You must have been ‘testing’ one of the new ones because it fell out of your hand onto the floor. I confronted you about pleasing yourself during business hours, but you kept insisting that there was a man in the room when there wasn’t. Next thing I knew, you were crying and then collapsed to the floor.”
“Paige, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…” she sobbed, reaching to take Paige into her arms.
“No, CJ, it’s I who should apologize,” Paige insisted, hugging her back briefly. “If I hadn’t been so hard on you, this would never have happened.”
“Don’t do this to yourself, Paige. No one can predict the future,” Cassandra said, looking to the door, feeling the presence of someone standing there.
Clipboard in hand, the doctor smiled sweetly at Paige, “She’ll be able to go home in a few days, Paige…er…Ms. Matteson.”
The smile on Paige’s face said one thing, she’d finally found a love in her life. “CJ, this is Dr. Russell, he’s been taking care of you.”
The man in white stepped over to her bed, taking Paige’s hand in his. The look he gave her reminded CJ of a predator…Russell Canterbury if she could put a name to him. The difference being this predator had the look of a lovesick lion in his eyes.
“Miss Jameson, I’m glad to see you’ve awoken from your deep sleep. You had us all worried for a while.”
Cassandra smiled at the way Paige’s face lit up. “Just call me Sleeping Beauty who found her prince in a world of dreams.”
Taking Paige’s hand in hers and giving it a light squeeze, the two cried until they couldn’t cry any more. For Cassandra she’d cried as many tears as she could...not only for the pain she’d caused Paige but also for the death of Garrett. A man she’d loved and lost in more lifetimes then she should have been allowed.
EPILOGUE
Several months later
Tingle…Tingle
“Hello, can I help you?” Cassandra looked up from taking inventory of the store stock. Her heart skipped a beat, then raced at full speed to the man standing just inside the doorway. Garrett!
“I’m not sure,” he said, taking a step toward her. “I’m looking for what used to be an old chocolate shop. I think it may have been at this address.”
Even his voice is the same. Transfixed, she stood hugging the clipboard to her chest,
then realized she’d been staring at the poor guy.
“You’ll have to excuse me, you remind me of someone I knew a long time ago,” she apologized, setting the inventory papers on the counter. “You said you’re looking for a chocolate shop?”
He laughed deep and sensual sending piercing arrows of heat through her.
“Yeah, it’s an old family business I’ve heard numerous stories about and the notorious relative who ran it in the 1700s,” he replied, stepping closer to her. “After so many years of listening, I finally decided to find out if they were true or not.”
Maybe we’re being given another chance, nothing is impossible, is it? If so, I’ve got to go slow in case he is Garrett. Cassandra smiled, then looked away for a brief moment.
“You know, I seem to recall some documentation about the building we have. I think there’s something about a shop being here around 1790.”
“That’s great! Would you mind getting them and joining me for a glass of beer at DBs?” His smiled melted her heart. Wiping her hand down her pant leg, she glanced at the wall clock.
DBs? Of course! DB’s the Dragon’s Breath. “I don’t see why not, it’s close enough to closing time. If you can wait a minute, I’ll get them and then we can go.”
He nodded, reaching out to take her hand in his. “By the way, my name’s Garrison Alexander.”
Heat washed over her, igniting her heart and soul. “Glad to meet you, Garrison. My name’s Cassandra Jameson.” Her hand fit perfectly into his, as if it belonged there.
Looking into her eyes, he held her hand a moment longer then a stranger would have. “I’m sorry, but have we met before? Just now I feel as if I know you from somewhere.”
Cassandra smiled to herself, then gently pulled her hand from his. “I don’t think so…at least not in this lifetime, Garrison.”
The End
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