Mitch had a definite sense that things hadn’t gone well from this point. Lilith’s tearful defiance was not a good sign. “And?”
“You did not come.” Lilith frowned and pursed her lips. “Not the next night or the next. My uncle could not find you, all shunned me in the kumpania. They were certain that a gadjo had used me for his pleasure and cast me aside.”
Mitch watched her, more than a little troubled by the toll her story obviously took from her, yet not knowing quite what to do about it.
“Then, suddenly, we were summoned to a hearing in the town square. All the cards and signs in the wind declared that the meeting would be one of great import.” She straightened and squared her shoulders, but her voice was small. “We went.”
Lilith licked her lips and stared resolutely at the middle of Mitch’s chest. He felt her tremble. “It had been three days since we laid together, three days and nights that you had not kept your pledge. I was so worried, half-afraid something had happened to you, half-afraid that my uncle was right and that you did not love me, after all.”
Mitch felt a lump rise in his throat for this trusting young girl. He was half-afraid himself that she was right about her Romeo’s motives.
He wondered suddenly whether this story was a way she dealt with a painful, but much more recent memory. That would make an awful lot of sense.
Mitch wondered how he could find out for sure.
“In the square, they said a widow had been murdered, that the culprit was found and would be punished.” Lilith lifted her gaze to meet Mitch’s and he saw pain shining there.
No doubt about it, Lilith was hurting.
Mitch’s protectiveness surged to the fore and he instinctively put a hand on her shoulder. She leaned against him in a way that seemed markedly out of character. Mitch had already seen how independent and strong Lilith could be.
But this story cut deep. He wished belatedly that he hadn’t asked her for it. Mitch’s gut told him that it was only going to get worse. He pulled Lilith into his arms without another thought.
She was shivering, as though it wasn’t hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk, and she clutched two fistfuls of his shirt.
“It was you,” Lilith whispered unevenly. Mitch blinked, then he realized that she meant him as Sebastian.
Lilith’s words suddenly gained momentum. “They said you had been possessed by demons, tainted by laying with a Gypsy whore, they said you were a criminal. I knew it wasn’t true, I knew it was a lie, I knew that you would never hurt another, but they would not listen to me.”
Her voice dropped low and for the first time, Mitch heard bitterness in her voice. “I was just the Gypsy whore, after all.” Lilith halted and swallowed awkwardly, her fingers tapping restlessly on Mitch’s chest. She caught her breath, she trembled, and the words tumbled out of her.
“And then, before all of us, they hung you until you were dead.”
That startled Mitch, no less the way that Lilith’s tears began to fall in earnest. They fell like scattering jewels, splashing on his skin in an endless torrent.
This had gone far enough.
Mitch closed his arms tightly around Lilith, his voice dropped with low urgency. There were psychologists who specialized in treating emotional trauma, all sorts of experts who could help Lilith deal with whatever had happened to her and put in securely in the past.
And Mitch decided right then and there that he would ensure she got that help.
“But, Lilith, that can’t be...” he began, but got no further before she laid a firm finger across his lips. One look into the intensity of her eyes silenced him, at least for the moment.
“You don’t know the rest of it,” she declared. “You can’t. They said it was my fault, they said they would burn the Gypsy whore who had poisoned one of their own sons. They chased us from the town with flames, all of us, and set fire to the woods behind us. We fled with the speed of the wind and they could not catch us.”
As delusions went, this one was pretty thorough. Mitch tried to find something good in all of this drama. “But, in the end, your kumpania sheltered you, right? You all stuck together?”
Lilith’s lips twisted and her tears welled again. “Of course not! They could not. They cast me out.”
“What?”
“I was declared mahrime. Unclean.” Lilith’s words were flat, although Mitch guessed her tone hid a wealth of emotion. “It was bad enough that I had lost my maidenhead to a gadjo, but the fact that he did not pay the bride price was an insult that could not be endured. No Rom man would have me, then. A mahrime person can infect others with their pollution. I could not be permitted to remain. My presence was a risk to the cleanliness of all.”
Okay, things had gotten even more medieval in her mind.
But the truth was clear to see, at least to anyone who looked. Mitch heartily disapproved of what he perceived Lilith’s family had done. So, she had been caught as a young woman in a compromising position - her family had no right chucking her out into the world.
Suddenly, a lot of puzzle pieces surrounding Lilith fell into place - Mitch would bet that all those missing records were registered in her real name, whatever that might be.
And she had simply taken another name for the purposes of day to day living - Lilith for the Old Testament woman who could not control her passions. That would be a result of whatever nonsense her parents had dumped on her. And Romano, perfectly fitting with this whole Gypsy thing she had concocted as an alternative to the truth and now ardently believed was the truth.
It wasn’t that Lilith didn’t exist - it was that Mitch had been looking for her in the wrong places.
Mitch didn’t really care about such practicalities right now. It made him damned mad to think of what Lilith had endured at her family’s behest. He couldn’t imagine that either of his kids could anything bad enough that he would just toss them out the door to fend for themselves. It was wrong. It was unfair.
It was not in the parental job description.
Mitch didn’t want to frighten Lilith with his anger, but he couldn’t just say nothing at all. He wanted her to know that he was on her side. Mitch forcibly kept his tone even. “It’s pretty cruel to leave a young girl alone like that,” he confined himself to saying.
To Mitch’s surprise, Lilith smiled thinly. “I wasn’t destined to be alone. You swore to return to me and repeated your vow on the gallows. I knew you would find me.” Her eyes saddened again. “Even though I never imagined it would take so long.”
Mitch saw the full weight of the loneliness he had only glimpsed in Lilith earlier. She seemed to be wrung out emotionally by sharing this story, even in its disguised version, though Mitch supposed that made sense. It hadn’t been easy for her, and she had said she refused to even think about it any more.
He was humbled that she trusted him enough to share this with him. Lilith leaned against Mitch, her cheek against his heartbeat and Mitch felt her tears dampen his T-shirt again. This time, though, they ran silently.
“I’m so glad,” she whispered softly and unevenly, “that you’re finally here.”
There was an ache in Lilith’s voice that made Mitch want to make everything come right in her lopsided little world. Someone was hurting, someone expected him to make it all better, someone was counting on him.
Mitch was securely back on familiar ground.
He wanted to apologize for taking so long, even though he knew Lilith wasn’t talking about him or maybe even aware of the truth anymore. But he wouldn’t lie to her, at any cost. So, the only way to reassure her without uttering a lie was with his touch. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to do, the one thing his heart had urged him to do all along.
The difference was that Mitch had finally decided to listen to its urgings. Whatever the cause, whether it was the lady’s own allure, her vulnerability or her concoction, Mitch was completely enchanted by his neighbor.
And he couldn’t bear her tears. Mitch gathered
Lilith into his arms, cupped her chin and gently touched his lips to hers. He gave her plenty of latitude to pull away, but she immediately parted her lips beneath his own.
She still wanted him. Mitch’s heart thumped. But that wasn’t what this was about. He wanted to reassure her, to ease away her fears, to make sure she slept without nightmares tonight.
Mitch tilted Lilith’s face upward, he brushed away her tears with his fingertips. He kissed her brow, her temple, her eyelids, he tasted the salt on her flesh. He nuzzled her earlobe, he swallowed every last tear as though he would take her hurt into himself and wipe it away forever. Lilith sighed and leaned against Mitch, her fingers found their way into his hair.
She caught the back of his neck and deepened their kiss, her need firing Mitch’s desire. He let his hand slid down her throat, he cradled the ripe curve of her breast in his palm. His thumb moved surely across her breast and her nipple tightened beneath his touch in silent demand. Lilith made a tiny cry of surrender and Mitch knew then that mere kisses wouldn’t do.
She needed more reassurance than that - and Mitch knew just what that would be. He scooped the lady up and headed into the house, having no desire to entertain his new neighbors more than he already had.
* * *
Lilith’s heart sang when Mitch swept her into his arms and strode into the kitchen. His gentleness was more than reassuring, his touch made the pain of recollection fade to nothing. Everything had been so vivid in her mind, Lilith felt as though she was standing in that square again. She could smell the flames, she had seen Sebastian go limp and felt the wave of loss roll through her.
It was wonderful to be able to clung to the solid strength of his shoulders, to know that they were together again, to be certain that all had come right in the end.
Mitch kissed her and Lilith forgot everything except the feel and the taste of him, the here-and-now of him. She locked her arms around Mitch’s neck and kissed him back, willing him to understand her fear and her relief. Lilith couldn’t wait, she wanted to make love with him immediately, again and again and again.
They had waited long enough.
She had waited too long. She needed his touch this night the way a fish needed water and a bird needed air. Lilith needed her one true love.
Mitch’s arms tightened around her and he halted beside the kitchen counter. When he put her down there, Lilith was delighted that their thoughts were as one. She shivered when his hand roamed down her back. She twisted to face him, wrapped her legs around his hips, and found that the height of the counter was absolutely perfect.
Lilith pressed herself against Mitch’s chest, snuggled herself closer to his erection, and tangled her fingers in his hair. He was warm and muscular, solid and strong. Mitch groaned, then slanted his mouth possessively over her own. His hands slid beneath her skirt and clenched her buttocks. He lifted her closer as he kissed her deeply.
Perfect bliss. Lilith closed her eyes and enjoyed the heat of his kiss.
When his fingers slid into her underwear, Lilith caught her breath. She reached for the fly of his shorts, but Mitch caught at her hand. He lifted his lips away from hers, his eyes blazing like stars, and kissed her fingertips.
“Not that,” he said with quiet assurance and put her hand back on his shoulder. Lilith would have protested in confusion, but Mitch brushed his thumb across her lips to silence her.
“not tonight,” he murmured, resolve in his gaze. “If we ever make love again, Lilith, it’ll be because we’ve both decided that that’s what we want, not because one of us is hurting, not because we make a choice in the heat of the moment. It will be right, and we’ll both be sure of that before anything happens.
Lilith frowned. “Aren’t you sure now?”
Mitch smiled crookedly. “I’m sure I want you more than I’ve ever wanted a woman before,” he confessed and her heart skipped a beat. “But that’s not nearly good enough. I’m not like Kurt. I never wanted to just “get lucky,’” Mitch leaned down to touch the tip of his nose to hers, his gaze intent. “I only ever wanted to make love.”
And his somber expression told Lilith that Mitch wasn’t certain he’d ever had the good fortune to make love with a partner who was making love to him.
Her heart twisted in sympathy at the evidence of his wife’s doings, whatever they were. Despite her own raging desire, her own need to feel his strength within her, Lilith wanted to give Mitch the certainty he craved.
She wanted the next time they made love to be everything he ever imagined lovemaking could be. She wanted it to be as magickal as that night they had once shared. If he could wait, then so could she.
Even if it wasn’t going to be easy.
Lilith wriggled a little, but Mitch didn’t loosen his hold on her. “I should go home, then,” she whispered.
Mitch’s slow smile caught her off-guard, although the way her belly tingled in response to the sight didn’t. “Not yet.”
Lilith knew her surprise showed, because his grin widened.
“There’s something I have to do first.” There was a twinkle in Mitch’s eyes that Lilith wasn’t quite sure she should trust, but she was intrigued.
Mitch brushed his lips across the tip of her nose, her cheekbone, then he placed a gentle kiss in her ear. Lilith shivered at his murmured words. ‘I want to make sure you have sweet dreams tonight.”
Lilith felt a tingle of anticipation, but that was nothing compared to the thrill Mitch’s kisses left as he blazed a trail down her neck. Lilith sighed and surrendered to whatever scheme he had in mind. Mitch turned her as if she weighed no more than a feather and cradled her against his chest. His warm fingers worked the buttons open at the front of her dress and his kisses slipped over the curve of her breast.
Lilith gasped when his mouth closed over her nipple. Her back arched with pleasure when Mitch’s fingers slid inside her panties. He touched her with a persuasiveness that made her dizzy; he flicked his tongue across that nipple until it throbbed. He ran his teeth gently across the peak, even as his fingers caressed her without cease. As the desire already simmering within Lilith came rapidly to a boil, she clutched Mitch’s shoulders, certain she would explode at any moment.
But he kept her just shy of the summit, teasing and touching, tempting a little more, then a little less. Lilith writhed in his embrace. She was certain she couldn’t stand the tension any longer and whispered his name urgently.
Mitch claimed Lilith’s lips in a triumphant kiss, one that demanded her participation. His tongue tangled with hers; his scent surrounded her. His arm held her fast against his chest; his fingers dove and danced and flicked. Lilith felt a tremor begin in her belly. She twisted but Mitch granted her no quarter. If anything, he intensified his kiss, his lips and his caress becoming even more demanding – until suddenly, his fingers slid deep inside Lilith’s heat.
One last flick of his thumb and the earthquake erupted within her. Lilith shook right to her toes with the force of her orgasm. Mitch urged her on and on, long past the moment Lilith thought there could be no more.
Finally, she sagged against him, languid and sated as she’d never been before. Lilith closed her eyes, more exhausted than she was after mixing the most demanding brew. She was ready to curl up in a little ball and sleep in the sun for a week.
“Okay?”
Lilith opened her eyes and met Mitch’s questioning gaze. She smiled sleepily. “More than okay, thank you.” She looped her arms around his neck and leaned her cheek against his chest. His heart thundered beneath her ear, the sound making her smile.
Lilith sighed with contentment.
“Good.” Mitch rubbed the back of her neck. “Now you can safely go home to bed.” He wrapped his hands around Lilith’s waist and lifted her off the counter, kissing the tip of her nose just before setting her on her feet.
She yawned and leaned against him as he buttoned her dress again. They strolled the length of his hall, wrapped around each other, out the front door, and over to her
own porch.
Lilith supposed it was sensible for them not to sleep together, at least until the children were used to her, although she would have been perfectly willing to do so. She smiled to herself in recollection of Mitch’s old-fashioned goals, then sobered when she recalled the woman who had made him less likely to believe they could be his.
On her own porch, Lilith pivoted to face Mitch. The newly rising moon cast its silvery light over his features, making him look resolute, yet mysterious. There was so much of him that she didn’t yet know. Mitch’s eyes, though, shone with warmth, and his firm lips curved in an affectionate smile. Lilith wanted to know everything about him, all his secrets, all his woes, all the tests he had endured.
“What happened to the mother of your children?” Lilith asked before she could reconsider the wisdom of the question.
Mitch’s smile was wiped away as cleanly as if it had never been. “Janice left,” he said flatly. “Right after Jen was born.” He paused and frowned at his feet. “She never wanted kids.”
That brought Lilith wide awake again. It seemed to her that this Janice had a funny way of showing any such conviction. How did anyone in a world full of birth control methods end up with two kids she didn’t want?
Not to mention that Lilith knew Mitch would have listened to any concerns his partner voiced. It was just the way he was.
It was one of the many things she loved about him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Mitch shook his head. “If was bad news all around.” He tipped his head back and looked at the stars for a long moment. Lilith knew he had many thoughts on the matter. She was by no means sure he would give them voice.
But Mitch did.
“Do you know why Jen is afraid to be alone?” he finally asked, his question so low that Lilith barely heard the words.
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