by Suzy Shearer
“Anthan! Anthan?”
For the past ten minutes Martin had been calling him, shouting for attention. He decided he should finally answer him, otherwise Martin would just turn up here. Anthan broke his kiss regretfully.
“Go away, Martin.”
“Anthan, I beg you, don’t do anything stupid.”
“Get lost!”
“Anthan, Erica is coming.”
“She’s here. Go away.”
“Martin?” Erica’s eyebrow lifted as she smiled up at Anthan.
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I could almost hear him through you.”
He looked at her in wonder.
Her eyes filled with tears as she looked into his face. “Please don’t leave me. I know what you intend to do.”
He couldn’t hide from her. His soul was stripped bare for her to see. His forehead against hers.
“I’m so lost, Iubită, so lost. What if I can’t be the man you need?”
“Oh, Anthan, you are the man I need. I know it. The gods know it.”
Anthan ran a finger down her soft cheek, amazed at how it felt. His heart was beating faster and faster with every passing minute. She pulled back a little, watching him. Her eyes never left his. He drank her in.
With one hand, he cupped her face. She leant into the touch of his fingers then closed her eyes. He let himself soak up all the emotions that touch gave him. His pain lessened ever so slightly.
Suddenly he felt he could survive. She had given him back hope when all was lost.
“I can’t believe this.” His voice cracked with emotion.
Opening her eyes, she grinned at him.
“Neither can I.”
“Iubită, I was...” He took a deep breath. “I intended to…”
Erica put her fingers across his mouth. “Hush I know. I know the truth. Nothing can be hidden between us. But not now. Now you have a future, now you have me.”
Anthan couldn’t hold back the groan of pain mixed with joy. He almost screamed with it the agony of it. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that he would never be alone again. He took one of Erica’s hand’s looking at it, marvelling at her. Soberly he realised if Martin had not have come this morning, he would now be dead. It overwhelmed it and he began to sob again.
“Please don’t cry, dearest.”
Erica tried to wrap her arms around him and held him as he cried again. Her own tears were merging with his.
“I know how overwhelming this is. Hell, it was the last thing I ever expected, too. I feel the pain inside you. I know if Martin hadn’t come this morning then we would both be lost.”
He gave her a watery grin. “Good pair aren’t we.”
He looked at her and knew instinctively that things were be okay. She had all the strength needed to help him. He started to laugh and Erica looked puzzled. He stood and pulled her to her feet.
“I found you!”
Then he spun her around and around in his arms until she was screaming with laughter. They collapsed in a heap on the floor. Anthan kept shaking his head.
“I can’t believe I’ve found you.”
Erica was lying across his chest. She kissed him again and again. She wagged a finger at him.
“You need to sleep. You also need food. No more ignoring when it’s time to eat.”
He caught the finger and kissed it.
“You’re going to be a bossy mate aren’t you?”
He couldn’t keep the laughter from his voice.
“You bet, Mister. You need someone to take care of you.”
“I do?”
“You do.”
He looked at her with amazement and love. “You’re right, I do.”
She got to her feet and tried to drag him up. He resisted for a moment then let her pull him.
“Which way to your bedroom?”
Her voice sounded satisfied and happy. Anthan thanked the gods he had found her as last. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a leery grin.
“Don’t get any ideas, Mister. You’re going to bed to sleep. I want you fresh tonight. You’re practically asleep on your feet, I can feel it.”
He nodded his head. He couldn’t deny it. He’d been running on empty for quite a while and now it was catching up. He’d spent all night painting, planning his death. He hadn’t fed or eaten for days until Martin had stood over him a few hours ago.
And then he had met Erica.
It was all tumbling down on him swiftly and he was barely able to keep awake. It was as if someone had pressed his “off” switch. He led the way into the bedroom, shuffling with exhaustion, and she pushed him down onto the bed. He pulled her to him.
“I want you.”
“And I want you, Anthan, but you know you’re tired. You can barely keep your eyes open. It’s got to be well after ten.”
He held her tight, frightened if he let her go he would find this was all a crazed dream.
Fearfully he asked, “Will I see you when I wake? Will you be here, Iubită?”
“I promise I’ll be here. What is that word that you keep calling me? What does it mean?”
“Iubită. It means beloved in my language.”
“It’s so beautiful!”
She smiled down at him. “I’ll get some food organised and I promise I’ll be back here before you wake.
“You’ll need a key.” She could hear the tiredness in his voice. “Top drawer in the hall.”
He looked at her again. Her hair was falling like a silken waterfall, a soft brown veil that fell almost to the top of her legs. It was brushing against his chest and arms. He caught his breath. She was so beautiful. Her hazel eyes glinted in the half-light. She leant forward to kiss him, the kiss turned wild. Anthan fought with her tongue, wanting to savour every moment. He heard her breath quicken as his did.
Suddenly she pulled away, stood and shook her head.
“No. Tonight. I don’t want you falling asleep on our first time together.”
She gave him a chaste kiss and stood looking down, her hand in his. Reluctantly he nodded his head, he knew she was right. She deserved the best. He had waited this long. A few more hours wouldn’t matter. Besides his lethargy was rapidly overtaking his arousal. She moved away from the bed, their hands slowly slipping apart until his dropped to the bed.
“Iubită,” he called. She looked back at him. “Thank you.”
He tried to put everything he felt in those two words—“Thank you for saving me, thank you for being here, thank you for being my strength, thank you.”
She smiled. It lit her face with love and tenderness. She blew him a kiss and walked from the room. He moaned a little with the loss but his eyes were so heavy and within minutes, he was asleep.
Chapter Fourteen
Erica walked out into the family room and stood. Her whole life had been against Hunters and yet, in the space of a heartbeat, she had pledged herself to one. She couldn’t stop grinning. Her heart was pounding, her breathing rapid yet she was unbelievably happy. She needed to speak with Amy. They would be wondering what on earth was going on. She had rushed out without telling them. On top of that, she had promised Anthan she would be here when he woke.
His kitchen was part of the family room. She walked in and checked the fridge. There were eggs, some dried out vegetables, a few containers of juice that turned out to contain very little when she shook them and nothing much else. There was a small old-fashioned walk-in pantry. On the shelves, there was an opened packet of cereal, some rice, pasta, plus tea, coffee, and sugar. There were also about two dozen packets of biscuits, some had been opened, and a few blocks of half-eaten chocolate. She would have to call into the supermarket. There just wasn’t enough of anything here to make a decent meal.
She wandered out onto the deck and gasped. The view was amazing! She drank it in for about ten minutes then walked back inside. Curious to see what else was in the house she wandered down the hallway first. There was a staircase that led
downstairs to three more bedrooms and a locked doorway leading outside.
Back upstairs, there was a room on the right. She thought it may have once been a dining room. By the looks of it Anthan was using it as a storeroom, there was so much junk piled on the old long wooden table. Chairs were pushed up against the back wall. Alongside was a very large room.
Erica walked in and stood in stunned surprise. In front of her was a painting.
She could feel tears running down her face as she looked at it.
There could be no doubt that this was Anthan.
Her heart almost broke when she saw the agony on the face. It was alive but she could feel the pain, feel the loneliness, the heaviness of a long life lived in darkness. She instinctively knew that he had intended this to be his final work and she found herself filled with love for this man who endured so much. She reached out her hand to touch it, trying to take away the ache it gave her.
Brushing away her tears, she left the room and went back to the bedroom. Erica stood watching him. In sleep, his face looked so vulnerable, it was hard to reconcile his age with his looks. His matted hair was spread out across the bed and he had one hand flung out toward the door as if reaching for her. She carefully tucked it under the blanket.
Glancing into the bathroom, she gave a satisfied grin. There was a very large shower and a spa tub big enough for two. She had a twinge of excitement.
Tonight!
Walking down the hall again, she found his keys in the drawer and let herself out of the house. She would go back to her house first and see Amy. They needed to talk.
Driving at a much more sensible speed, she arrived back at the house in eighteen minutes. Amy greeted her at the door when she heard the key in the lock.
“What happened? Why did you leave? Where’s Anthan?”
Holding up her hands she said, “Whoa! One at a time, sis.”
“Sorry but I was worried. I could feel your fear then your happiness.”
“Come and sit down and I’ll tell you everything.”
Erica followed Amy into the kitchen and began to make coffee for the both. She wondered how her sister would take the news.
“So?”
“Where to start?”
“Why did you leave without telling us what was going on? Martin was panicking.”
“I left because I knew Anthan was going to enter the sun and stay in it.”
“How on earth did you know that?”
Erica took a deep breath as she handed Amy a coffee.
“Anthan is my mate or I’m his, whatever.”
“What! You’re kidding.”
She shook her head. “No. As soon as I walked out, I knew. Then he went outside. Oh, Amy, the pain in that man’s head. It was awful.”
The tears started falling again as she remembered how dark Anthan’s thoughts had been.
“He thought he was too damaged, too lost to be a partner for me. He disappeared and I knew if he had the chance, he would be dead. So I raced after him.”
“Oh, Erica. That’s awful! Is he...is he all right now?”
“Yes, we talked a little, he realised that together we will be fine. Tonight we’ll talk more. Amy, it’s an amazing feeling!”
Amy just grinned at her. “I know.”
Erica laughed. “Of course you do, silly me.”
“So what now?”
Erica knew what Amy meant. She wanted to know the truth, too.
“I’m not sure. Gram, well I think you must be right but I don’t understand why she’d lie about Hunters. She always told us how bad they were, how much they used people and discarded them. I just can’t believe that you and I have met the only two honourable Hunters in the world.”
“I know. But why? Martin told me this morning that Anthan wanted to talk to us about her, said he thought he knew what happened.”
“Oh. Then maybe tonight we’ll find out.”
“Tonight. Yes. We need to cook something for them to eat, for us all.”
“I told Anthan I would be there when he woke. What time do they wake?”
Amy shrugged her shoulders. “Martin’s been getting up any time from four till six. I guess when they wake.”
“Oh very smart!”
“Well. I’m going to be at Anthan’s before four. How about we make something now and then we can all come here tonight and eat?”
“You sure?”
“Yes. I think whatever Anthan has found out, we both need to hear at the same time.”
“Okay. Well if we make something that can cook slowly and won’t spoil. What about a tajine?”
“Good idea. We can make some couscous at the last minute. Come on, let’s go to the supermarket.”
Amy grabbed her bag and they drove to the shops in Erica’s car. Wandering through the supermarket, Erica threw groceries in the trolley that could be left at Anthan’s. She would buy enough to feed them for a few days at least.
“Do you know what I found at Anthan’s? Packets and packets of biscuits. There was hardly any food but there were dozens of packets of biscuits, oh and chocolate.”
“Sounds like he had a sweet tooth.”
“Yeah. Think I will make a dessert.”
“Ooh make tiramisu. I love your tiramisu!”
“Okay.”
Erica grinned at her sister and swung by the dairy section for more milk plus cream. They loaded their shopping in the car then drove to Anthan’s house. Amy helped Erica take the groceries inside. She marvelled at the view from the deck.
“This is fabulous!”
“I know. I’m going to bring my camera back. This view is wonderful. I remember when I rented my house, I wanted one up higher but nothing was available.”
“That reminds me. What are you going to do about your house? I mean your lease has run out, you going to stay?”
Erica was putting things in the pantry and the fridge.
“Oh. I don’t know. I’ve been paying week to week since it ran out. I know they want me to sign another agreement or else I have to find somewhere else. I have to decide soon, they gave me two weeks to sign the new lease or leave.
“Come on let’s get the rest of the groceries back to my house.”
Within twenty minutes, they had everything put away and started on preparing the meal for the evening. Amy concentrated on the tajine while Erica made dessert. When everything was done, they sat together in the family room. Amy had made them both a salad sandwich and a coffee for a late lunch.
“I wonder what Anthan found out?”
“Me, too. I’ve been going through things in my head. It’s just so confusing.”
“I don’t suppose you remember moving here.”
“Not really. I was so young. I know I didn’t want to come.”
“Me neither. But Gram said we had to. You’re right. I don’t understand why Dad never kept in contact with us even if he told her to take us. I can remember asking Gram if I could write to him and tell him where we were but she told me he’d moved when Mum died and she didn’t know where he was.”
They sat and talked about things they remembered from before their mother died until Erica saw it was 3:30. She got up and went into her bedroom to grab one of her cameras and its gear. She kissed Amy good-bye.
“Not sure what time we’ll be here. Anthan can let Martin know. See you after.”
When she reached Anthan’s, the first thing she did was take photo after photo of the water. The wind had whipped up during the afternoon and she could see a storm building up out to sea. The waves were crashing on the rocks below and occasionally she felt spray on her face. Using her telescopic lens she got what she felt were great shots of the wave crests and the sea foam.
Going back inside, she put her gear away and looked in at Anthan. She watched him from the doorway. She felt her stomach fill with butterflies. She felt embarrassed that she was going to have to tell this man she was still a virgin at forty-one. She hoped she didn’t make a fool of herself in her innocence.
This was it, this was the moment she had been waiting for all her life.
Chapter Fifteen
Anthan could feel someone watching him. He carefully looked through slitted eyes. Erica was standing in the doorway. His heart leapt. He saw her bite her bottom lip. He opened his eyes fully to look at her.
He growled huskily. “Iubită.”
He reached out a hand to her and she started. Giving him a silly grin, she came to the bed and took his outstretched hand.
“Hi,” she said shyly.
“Hi yourself.”
Anthan pulled her down to him and kissed her lips softly. She fell into his arms and returned the kiss. He sucked on her bottom lip then pushed his tongue between her teeth. Her breathing increased, his was already racing. So this was what it felt like to be in love!
It felt like fireworks were exploding in his head. His stomach was tied in knots and his heart was almost leaping out of his chest.
She broke the kiss and looked down at him. He marvelled at her beauty as her long thick hair fell forward to cascade like a waterfall across his shoulders and chest.
“My Iubită, I still can’t believe it.”
“Neither can I.”
He ran his hands up and down her arms, feeling her shiver of pleasure. She touched his face with the fingers of one hand, tracing his eyebrow and then moving down to his lips. Her finger ran across his top lip softly, his lips parted as she continued across the bottom one.
He caught it gently with his teeth. Her breath caught. He wrapped his hand around the finger and sucked it into his mouth. All the while, her eyes never left his.
She moaned lightly. He kissed the finger and she ran it across her own lips. He groaned.
She sat back on her heels. As he watched, she slowly unbuttoned her blouse and cast it aside. It was his turn to catch his breath. Her lovely full breasts were encased in filmy lace. He could see the dark outline of her areola and her nipples pressed hard against the fabric.
He stretched out his hand to run it across the lacy edge. She closed her eyes for a moment as he cupped one in his hand, brushing his thumb across the peaked nub.