How could she want him so soon again? She should be exhausted, since surely she hadn’t slept more than an hour or two. Yet the bulges and planes of his body, even relaxed in sleep, made her yearn to feel them once again tightening and straining as he carried them both to a shattering fulfillment.
His breath feathered softly in her hair, but it would hiss inward if she ran her hand close to his hardness—or gasp as he called her name in need. The power she felt in his arms and broad chest as he hovered over her made her feel delicate and feminine, yet not the least afraid. Instead, she could allow her passion free rein with a complete knowledge of him glorying in her response, sharing her exhilaration, yet always cherishing her fragileness next to his strength. Her breasts budded as she recalled his uninhibited response when she had taken the initiative to explore his body as freely as he did hers.
She wiggled her hips slightly and, though she could tell by his still, even breathing that most of his body remained deep in sleep, one part of him reacted against her thigh. With a smothered giggle, she bumped a little harder. To her disappointment, he released her and rolled onto his back, flinging one forearm across his eyes and settling back into sleep. His movements drew the sheet with him, leaving her uncovered in the chill morning air.
Alaynia scooted up. She really should let him sleep. He would probably need to be in the fields early today, trying to make up for the time he had spent with her yesterday. She should spend the day working on the plans for Jake’s house. The tingling between her thighs, though, refused to be chased away by the early morning air.
She knew his body well enough now for her hand to instinctively find what it sought. Molding the sheet over him, she slowly cupped her fingers around him and moved her palm back and forth. He surged to complete fullness. Carefully she shifted to her knees, stopped stroking him and cupped her breast, then bent to run the nipple across his slack lips.
He grabbed her without warning and sucked her breast deeply into his mouth, then pulled her on top of him and held her in place, thrusting up against her. The mild tingle spasmed into racing desire. She bent her head and buried her face in his hair, her fingers clenching in his shoulders and her nails biting into his skin. “Shain!”
“Witch,” he murmured as he moved his mouth to her other breast.
Her voice clogged in her throat as she lay helplessly on top of him. Her body spasmed, and she heard her whimpers of completion as though from far away. When she could think again, she raised herself and stared down at him, realizing that the darkness in the room had begun fading. The satisfied smirk on his face brought a sly smile from her in return.
She gripped his shoulders again and slowly moved upward, then back down. The fading throbs in her core ceased, and she tensed again. But she forced herself to remain in control this time.
Shain’s eyelids drooped and he groaned under his breath as her movements continued. “Insatiable,” he muttered. “You’re an insatiable witch.”
“Um-hum,” Alaynia agreed as she lowered her head. “And you make me that way.”
She licked the tip of her tongue around his lips, then slipped it inside his mouth to trace his teeth. All the while she kept her body moving, easing into a quickening tempo. When he greedily captured her mouth, she lifted her hips for a brief second and jerked the sheet from between them. With the same hand, she grasped him and held him in place, settling back down with him inside her in one easy thrust.
He broke the kiss with a deep moan, his head swinging back and forth on the pillow as he bucked upward in rhythm with her motions. His breath was hot now on her face, hissing between clenched teeth, and his muscles iron hard beneath her fingers. The ecstasy on his face fired her own need, and she closed her eyes, feeling only the sensations flowing between them as she settled into the final tempo.
He gasped her name and moaned his love. Alaynia fell against him, experiencing her second fulfillment of the morning—this time even more splendid, since Shain entered the spectacular world they created together with her.
A long moment later, Alaynia sat up with a shaky laugh and kissed Shain’s closed eyes and full lips, murmuring, “Good morning, husband.”
Shain flipped her over and captured her mouth in a deep, probing kiss. When he finally lifted his head, he growled, “Good morning, witch angel, my wife. I’m going to enjoy having you wake me up like this every morning for the rest of my life.”
“Maybe not every morning,” Alaynia replied as she stroked the side of his face.
“Um. Why not?”
She crinkled her forehead into a frown, then slightly shrugged her shoulders. “You got me,” she admitted. “Why not?”
Shain’s face grew serious. “Are you happy, Alaynia? Do you feel like you’ve made the right decision?”
“Definitely yes, to both questions,” she responded without hesitation. “My life’s here with you now—with Chenaie in this time period. I never, ever want to leave. But I still intend to get to the bottom of how this happened to me.”
When Shain frowned in annoyance, she explained, “I wish I could say that I could just forget everything, Shain, and walk with you into the future we have as man and wife. I wish it didn’t bother me, and I could put it out of my mind. But last night you understood my need to find some answers. And I promise, I won’t do anything dangerous. It’s important to our future together, though. You realize that, don’t you?”
Shain sighed and lay down beside her, gathering her against his side. With their new closeness, Alaynia sensed his reserve. They’d shared their bodies totally—no doubt about that—but she was hoping they had also begun building a bridge across some of the differences in their opinions. Still, Shain avoided her eyes by staring at the overhead canopy when she snuggled her head on his upper arm and looked into his face.
“Shain,” she said. “We have to open up to each other now and discuss things. I want to be a part of your entire life, not just your bedmate.”
He glanced down at her and quirked a raven eyebrow. “You mean, I can’t even keep my mind private from you?”
“Do you want to?” she asked in an injured voice.
“Maybe sometimes,” he admitted. When she thrust her lower lip into a pout, he continued, “I’m trying to be honest, honey. I’ve never had to share my thoughts with a woman I loved before. And never have any doubt that I love you totally, or ...” He lowered his voice to a near whisper, “Maybe I didn’t love you enough.”
Alaynia jerked from his grasp and sat up, arms crossed beneath her breasts. “You better explain that one, buster!”
An embarrassed chuckle rumbled in Shain’s chest. “See there? I’m already letting you into my private thoughts. I shouldn’t have said that out loud.”
“Now that you have ...” Alaynia warned.
Shain scooted up and rested his back against the headboard. For a few seconds, he gazed at her before he reached down and grabbed the sheet, settling it around her shoulders and thrusting the ends into her hands. A flush climbed her cheeks as he drew the satin comforter over his lower body, then sat back again.
“Whenever you want us to talk things out,” he said in a mock-stern voice, “I’d suggest we do it in a different state than naked. I have enough trouble keeping my hands off you when you’ve got your clothes on.”
She shrugged the sheet from her shoulders and twisted the ends over her breasts. “There, I’m covered. Now, explain what you meant by saying maybe you didn’t love me enough.”
She glanced at him and almost lost her resolve. Shain’s eyes roamed over her face and across her exposed shoulders, centering on the breasts pushing out the sheet with a famished gaze she had thought satisfied moments earlier. Only the niggling hurt his words had given her kept her from flinging herself into his arms and demanding he make love to her once more. But she was determined to have her explanation, and she sat silently waiting for her answer.
He sighed in resignation. “We can’t even go on a honeymoon,” he said at last. “
Even Jeannie mentioned that. There’s just too much responsibility for me here at Chenaie right now. Maybe I should have waited until things were going smoother around here—when I had more time to spend with you.”
She experienced a stab of understanding. “I’m just another responsibility, aren’t I?”
“No!” he denied. She continued to stare steadily at him, but he returned her gaze with a level look. “You’ll never be that. All right, there’s a part of me that’s scared as hell about having a wife. Chenaie’s in trouble—and Chenaie’s our heritage—yours now, too, and the children we’ll have together.”
He dropped his gaze for a second when Alaynia unconsciously placed a hand on her flat stomach. When he met her eyes again, he nodded briefly. “We’ll have them, darling. We’ve rushed into this thing so fast, I guess we never discussed that. But one of these days, there’ll be little independent bunches of femininity running around, keeping everyone at Chenaie on their toes.”
“And little boys growing up with their father’s handsome looks, getting ready to break every female heart in the state,” Alaynia said with a gentle smile.
Shain held out his arms, and she curled close to his side but kept her head back far enough to see his face. “We did go into this pretty fast, didn’t we? But I have no regrets. And I want us to share things—the troubles as well as the good times.”
“The troubles will be easier to bear just because you’re there with me, darling. One part of me wants to give you a life completely free from care. The rational part of my mind, though, knows there are rough times ahead. Hell, the rough times are going on right now. If this drought doesn’t break, we’ll probably lose the cane, and with what we lost of the cotton crop, we’re gonna be hurting bad. But as long as I have you, we’ll get through it.”
“Shain,” Alaynia said eagerly. “Jake’s paying me to design his house and oversee the construction. I haven’t got a handle yet on how much money’s worth back here compared to ...”
His muscles tensed, and his mouth thinned into a grim line. “That money’s yours,” he growled. “I’ll handle Chenaie’s finances.”
“Oh!” Alaynia sighed in frustration, determined to proceed, even at the risk of marring their second full day of marriage with an argument. “Let me see now,” she said contemplatively. “We’re going to share, but the sharing has some boundary lines. What’s yours is ours, but what’s mine is mine. Does that mean when I have troubles, I have to bear them on my own, too?”
“Don’t twist my words, Alaynia.”
“Then listen to yourself, Shain. I’m proud of what I’ve learned to do over the years, and I love designing and decorating. How do you think it makes me feel, when you don’t even want to talk about something I feel so much pride in?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about it. Anytime you want to discuss it with me, I’ll listen.”
“Well, part of being good at what I do is being able to make money at it. And if you’re going to act like that money’s tainted somehow ...”
“Then save it for our kids,” Shain interrupted. “I’ll make a decent enough living for us that you don’t want for anything you really need.”
He dropped a kiss on her mouth, stilling her before she could say anything else. “And,” he said as he released her and sat up on the side of the bed, “speaking of making a living, I need to get out in the fields. I left things to Cole and Carrington yesterday, but there’s some decisions only I can make. There’s no sense in you getting up this early. Why don’t you get a little more sleep?”
Alaynia glared at his broad back for a second. This discussion wasn’t over yet by a long shot, she silently promised herself. For now, though, she’d accept the compromise he’d given her of saving the money for their children. That thought lifted her spirits, and she tucked her palm beneath her cheek as she settled down on one of the pillows. Today was the first of many mornings when she could watch how he started the day, and she wasn’t going to let their near-spat spoil her enjoyment.
He crossed to the wash basin and dipped his cupped palms into the cold water, then splashed it on his face. She grimaced when he shivered and rubbed his damp hands across his tousled hair. One thing she would never get used to was not having warm water in the mornings, unless she rang the bell pull for someone to bring it to her. After drying his face on the hand towel beside the wash basin, Shain walked over to the huge armoire and pulled out some clothing for the day.
He turned to come back to the bed and saw her watching him. “Thought you were going to get some more sleep,” he said as he sat down on the edge of the mattress to pull on his underdrawers and socks.
“I’d rather start the day with you,” Alaynia murmured. “But my clothing is still in the other bedroom.”
“I’d like you to move it in here, if you want.” Alaynia frowned a question at him, and he shrugged. “My mother preferred to have her own bedroom,” he said. “The Camellia Room was hers, and she kept all her things in it. But there’s plenty of room for your things with mine. If not, we can move the other armoire in here.”
“I’ll help Netta move my clothes today,” Alaynia told him with a contented smile. “I want to sleep with you at night.”
“Good.” He leaned over and kissed her, then finished dressing. Picking up a comb from a table beside the wash basin, he ran it through his hair as he asked, “What do you have planned for today?”
“Other than ensconcing myself in your bedroom?” Alaynia asked with a laugh.
“Other than that wonderful idea,” he told her with a look that smoldered even across the room.
Alaynia caught her breath, then sat up on the side of the bed, forcing herself to look around the room for her nightgown in order to distract her thoughts. “Well, since I won’t need the Camellia Room to sleep in, I thought I’d go ahead and turn it into more of a work room. I could use another table in there to spread plans out on and some shelves for my drawing supplies. I probably should ride over to Jake’s today, too, to see how the clearing is coming.”
“You won’t go alone.” Shain’s words were more of a statement than a question.
“No,” she agreed, covering up her feeling of restriction. “If it’s all right with you, I know Jeannie would like to go. And we’ll take one of the men from the stable with us.”
Shain nodded acquiescence. After crossing to give her one last, lingering kiss, which held the promise of more to come later on, he left. She scooted out of the high bed and grabbed her nightgown, pulling it on as she walked through the connecting door to the Camellia Room.
As she dressed, she studied the room, mentally rearranging it into her work room. There was plenty of room for the armoire in the master bedroom, and she could have the bed disassembled and moved somewhere else—perhaps stored in the attic. That would give her plenty of room for another table.
The fireplace was an added delight. If things went well with Jake’s house, she could get other jobs. It would be extra cozy on chilly days with a fire flickering as she worked on the drafting table. She would line the mantle with pictures of Shain, Jeannie, and any new additions to her family.
Her lips thinned as she looked at the Bible and packet of letters on the mantle. No matter where she left them—and she clearly recalled leaving the letters on the drafting table the last time she handled them—they appeared in a different spot each time she entered the room. It was as though someone kept moving them to assure she paid attention to them. Brushing her hair, she walked over to the window and once again gazed at the graveyard. It held a wonderful memory now—the memory of Shain’s proposal. Yet it still contained a mystery, or perhaps more than one. She could never rest easy until she had the answers.
After tying her hair back, she dropped the brush on the window seat and left the room. A few seconds later, she tapped lightly on Jeannie’s bedroom door.
“Come in.”
Jeannie glanced up in surprise when Alaynia walked in. “I thought you’d prob
ably sleep late this morning,” she said with a grin. “I intend to laze around for at least a month after I get married.”
“Shain’s already gone out to the fields. And I’ve gotten used to us having our morning coffee and chocolate together. It’s way too long to wait for my caffeine until Shain’s ready to have breakfast.”
“I agree,” Jeannie said. “Netta should be here in a minute, and I’ll ask her to bring your coffee up.”
When Alaynia came over to the small table in the room, Jeannie stood and hugged her tightly. “Oh,” she said when she stepped back. “You don’t know how glad I am that you’re part of my family now. It’s going to be so much fun having you for a sister. Whenever I thought about that brother of mine getting married, I didn’t dare hope he’d find someone as wonderful as you—someone I could be friends with, too.”
Alaynia cocked her head. “What sort of woman did you figure Shain would marry?”
“You know,” Jeannie said with a vague wave of her hand. “Some simpering woman who only thought about dresses and needlepoint—those feminine things that all women are supposed to be interested in.”
“Shain told me you wanted to go to school in Boston.”
Jeannie nodded eagerly. “Has he said he’s going to let me? I never could pin him down about that, but I don’t intend to live my entire life in West Feliciana Parish, that’s for sure. Be just a plantation mistress and keep the servants in order, plan parties, and go calling at specified hours.”
“What do you want to do with your life, Jeannie?”
“There’s so much, Alaynia. I love animals, and I want to have lots of them wherever I live, maybe horses. And it’s so interesting watching Jake work on his inventions. What you do, building houses, is fascinating, although I don’t think it’s what I’d like to do for the rest of my life. I’ve written down a lot of things—I keep a diary.” She ducked her head shyly. “I’ve never let anyone read it, but you could, if you want to.”
“I’d love to,” Alaynia replied, then contemplated Jeannie for a moment. “Are you interested in keeping track of your family history?”
Witch Angel Page 27