by Donna Raider
Leah began kissing Mika again, almost violently, her tongue searching for Mika’s and holding it. She caught her lower lip between her teeth and bit it. The taste of blood filled both their mouths as she kissed Mika mercilessly.
Unable to control herself, Mika flipped Leah over, holding herself off her. She looked into Leah’s eyes and saw pure lust. The blood from her lip dripped onto Leah’s lips. Mika’s tongue moved slowly over Leah’s lower lip, tasting her own blood. Leah captured Mika’s mouth with hers, kissing, sucking, seeking, pulling her into her. Mika lowered her weight onto Leah, surrendering to her, and Leah gave all of herself back.
“Leah,” she pleaded, “please, please don’t hold back. I can take it.”
Leah unleashed all her feelings. Her desire for Mika consumed her as her magic entwined her body with Mika’s.
It was the most incredible feeling either of them had ever experienced. As her magic engulfed them, they could feel everything. Mika could feel what Leah was feeling and thinking. Leah could feel what Mika felt as she made love to her. Mika’s thoughts filled her head and thrilled her almost as much as her physical actions. Mika’s exhilaration at what Leah was doing to her fueled her own ecstasy. They didn’t lose consciousness, but rather seemed to float endlessly in time and space, immersed in one another, loving one another, fulfilling each other’s desires and fantasies, the magic uniting them. They moaned each other’s name continuously.
Mika didn’t know how long they remained suspended in that state, but when Leah gently pushed her away, she gasped like a woman coming up for air after being underwater for hours. Mika’s lungs burned, her blood boiled, and she couldn’t catch her breath. “Leah,” she gasped. “Help me?”
Leah placed her mouth over Mika’s and breathed air into her lungs. Then she fell back on the bed, trying to fathom what had just happened to them.
For the first time in her life, Leah was satiated. Her magic was now lying dormant, no longer asking to interact with the priest. It, too, was satisfied with her. Its desire to be a part of all Leah was to this woman was fulfilled. Leah realized that magic was not something she controlled, but rather, she was magic. Magic was her basic nature, the very essence of her. Magic came as natural to her as breathing.
Leah’s eyes opened wide as she realized her wife hadn’t moved. She quickly sat up to look at her. “Mika, darling, are you alright?”
A soft smile curved Mika’s lip. The small gash in her lower lip still oozed blood. Leah touched it softly and healed it. Mika’s mesmerizing eyes held hers, looking into the depths of her soul. “I love you,” Mika whispered.
They lay in silence for a long time. Leah knew Mika was alive by her breathing, but she still hadn’t moved. She patiently waited for her to say something. She wondered if Mika was terrified. She had every right to be. She had just used her mercilessly to satisfy her every desire. She had done things to Mika she had only fantasized about in her deepest, darkest lust. Thank God she’s still alive, Leah thought. I would have killed a lesser woman.
Mika finally sat up and leaned back against the headboard. “That was… It was… I got nothing!” She shrugged. “No words can describe how exhilarating and intoxicating that was. Oh my God, Leah, I had no idea making love with you would be so… so… electrifying. Every other feeling and emotion in my life pales in comparison to how much I love you and how you make me feel.”
Mika looked at Leah and shook her head in disbelief. Leah was completely calm. The nervous energy she had always felt in Leah was gone. The tension and anxiety that always danced just beneath the surface of her were laid to rest. Mika had satisfied her. Mika knew Leah was hers and hers alone. That is good, because I definitely belong to her, Mika thought.
Like an addict that had just gotten the world’s biggest fix, Mika just wanted to hold Leah and never move from her bed. She wanted to sleep and feel her next to her. Mika slid down into the bed and a deep sleep.
When Leah knew Mika was sleeping soundly, she slipped from their bed. Pulling on Mika’s shirt, she moved silently from their room and went downstairs. I could use a glass of brandy. She chuckled to herself as she thought, If I were a smoker, I would certainly smoke a pack of cigarettes right now.
The house was dark. She didn’t turn on any lights, afraid she would wake Mika. She poured a glass of the amber liquid and turned to go to her study. She noticed a pale light in Mika’s office, emanating from her desk. Mika had forgotten to turn off her laptop. Sipping her brandy, she walked slowly to the desk. She sat down on Mika’s chair and opened her laptop. Leah was in no way prepared for what she saw.
Current bank statements from hundreds of different banks located in countries all over the world were displayed on the screen. All for the Cross Family Trust, with Mika and Leah Cross as trustees. All with balances of more than five billion dollars each.
Her hand went to her throat as she gasped. How did a priest accumulate that much money? Once again, she realized how little she knew about the woman who was now her wife.
There were other files in the folder titled financials. One labeled real estate provided photos and deeds to properties all over the world. A home in the Greek Isles, one in Italy, a villa in Barcelona, an incredible home in the Hamptons, a three-thousand-acre ranch in Texas, and an entire apartment building in Manhattan. They owned an actual island in the Caribbean. The list seemed endless. All the deeds were in the name of the Cross Family Trust, with Mika and Leah Cross as administrators. She looked at the photos. They were breathtaking locations. Private and secluded, some were on white sandy beaches and others on mountaintops with glorious views. The New York property appeared to have a magnificent penthouse reserved for Mika. She was pleased to see that Mika was the only one in the photos, no women or children.
Clicking open another file that said investments, she gasped at the amount of stock Mika held in blue-chip companies all over the world. The Cross Family Trust was astronomical. A quick addition of numbers in her head told her that the trust was wealthier than any country.
“Who the hell is Mika Cross?” Leah said out loud.
“Your wife, Leah,” a low, almost dangerous voice growled from the doorway. “What are you doing with my computer?”
“Mika!” Leah jumped at her sudden appearance. “I… I…was in the kitchen when I noticed your computer was left on. I was going to turn it off.”
“But you decided to examine the contents instead.” Mika glared at her as she slowly approached her. Mika’s face was menacing in the pale blue light cast by the laptop.
“All this time I have been pouring out my heart and soul to you,” Leah snapped, “and you didn’t share any of this…anything,” she faltered.
Mika was standing over her now, looking down at her. “Does it matter?” Her voice was so low, it was almost a whisper.
Leah studied Mika for a long time, recalling how she had unconditionally accepted everything Leah had shared with her about her past. How she had never judged or pitied her, only loved her. Most importantly, she realized with a start, how Mika made her feel in bed.
“No!” she answered honestly. She knew that nothing could ever stop her from loving her wife.
Mika slid to her knees, wrapping her arms around her, burying her face between Leah’s breasts. “I love you so much,” she cried. “I couldn’t live without you.”
“I love you, Mika Cross, whoever you are. I shall always love you.” She repeated words Mika had told her after she had shared her horrific past with her. “Nothing matters to me but you. I don’t care about your past.”
“But you would like an explanation.” Mika smiled hesitantly.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Leah nodded, trying to be as patient with Mika as she had been with her.
“I can’t right now,” Mika said softly, “but by the time our honeymoon is over, you will have answers to all your questions. Just trust me for now and know that I am and will always be a woman of God.”
“I do.” Leah smiled. “I love y
ou.” She caught Mika’s face between her hands and kissed her lovingly.
The blare of the ringtone, heralding a call from Richie, sounded somewhere in her study. “We should answer that.” She grinned. “We haven’t left this house in four days. People will think I’ve killed you.”
“Hello, Richie.” Leah smiled the smile that was reserved for her son and her wife. “No, we are just fine. I’m sure Emily was concerned. Yes, we are running a day behind schedule. We… ah… we just had some things to work out. Yes. Do you want to talk with her?”
Still smiling, she held the phone toward the priest. “Hey, Son,” Mika grinned.
“Mika,” Richie said excitedly, “so that you know, Emily made me put you on the speakerphone. I miss you guys so much.”
“We miss you too, Son. Why don’t we meet you at the diner at nine in the morning? We can have breakfast and spend some time with you before we set sail. Okay. I’m going to give you back to your mom. Oh, and sheriff, she actually screams like a real woman.” Mika dropped her voice into a sensuous growl when she said real woman.
Mika chuckled as she handed the phone back to her sputtering wife. “I just wanted to tell you I love you, Richie. Me too. Can’t wait to see you.”
Leah fell against Mika, laughing. “Sometimes, I think you have a little bit of the devil in you, Priest Mika Cross.” She brushed her lips lightly with her own.
Mika looked longingly toward the kitchen. “Would you like me to cook dinner?” she asked. “I have worked up an appetite.”
“No, darling. Just keep me company while I get it ready.” She moved toward the refrigerator as she talked. “I made lasagna and froze it so we would have something to eat. It won’t take long to get it on the table.”
After Leah put the meal in the oven, she moved to stand between Mika’s knees. Mika put her arms loosely around her. There was no feeling of anxiety in her body. She was completely relaxed.
“Are you ready to set sail tomorrow?” Mika asked, kissing her lightly.
“I… am,” Leah said hesitantly. “I’m looking forward to uninterrupted time with my wonderful, mysterious wife.”
“Mysterious?” Mika tilted her head as if trying to wrap her mind around being called mysterious. “No one has ever called me mysterious before,” she grinned, “but then no one has ever married me before.”
“If I know you better than anyone else knows you, I hate to think how little others know about you,” Leah said sarcastically.
The buzzer went off, signaling their dinner was ready. Saved by the bell, Mika thought.
They ate in silence and quickly cleared the table. Mika loaded the dishes into the dishwasher while Leah put things into the refrigerator.
“So, the magic,” Mika raised a perfectly arched brow, “that was indescribable. I hope it is something you can replicate.”
“I can.” Leah smiled. “Only not over and over. I must rejuvenate. It wasn’t like using magic. It was just that deepest part of me, responding to you.”
“Sort of like me.” Mika grinned. “I have to rejuvenate sometimes.”
“Yes.” Leah tilted her head slightly, making Mika’s heart skip a beat. “It is similar. I have never done that before, so it’s all new to me, too.”
“So, I can’t expect that mind-blowing sex every night?” Mika teased.
“No, but I will still rock your world every night, Priest,” she said in her most sensuous voice.
“No doubt in my mind.” Mika grinned. “I am not sure I could take that every night, anyway. I have to admit that the first thing I did when I got up was look in the mirror to make sure I still had eyebrows and my hair wasn’t singed.”
Leah laughed, that deep, throaty laugh that sent fire shooting throughout Mika’s entire body.
“Oh, now you’ve done it.” Mika laughed too, grabbing her hand and pulling her upstairs.
They made love, slower, gentler; exploring each other tenderly, gradually building the flame until they were consumed.
Afterward, when their breathing had returned to normal, Leah sat up, leaning her back against Mika’s drawn-up knees. Leah had quickly discovered this was her favorite position in which to talk with her wife. She was close enough to lean in for a kiss and far enough back to look directly into her fathomless blue eyes.
“I don’t suppose we’ll be lucky enough to have just Richie in the morning?” Mika grimaced. “I don’t want to hear Emily’s lewd comments. If it is okay with you, I will call her and tell her we just want to visit with our son.”
“I would love that.” Leah smiled. “I like the way you always take care of things.”
“That’s what wives do.” Mika kissed her lightly. “I will call first thing in the morning. It is too late to call tonight.”
Unfortunately, neither Emily nor her parents were answering their phones the next morning when Mika tried to call.
“The idiots probably let their batteries run down,” Leah growled. “They do that all the time.”
They decided to walk to the diner for the exercise and fresh air. It was a beautiful day. Perfect for sailing.
Richie was at the counter talking to Ruth when they walked in. “Mom, Mika.” The boy grinned from ear to ear, engulfing his mother in a bear hug then hugging the priest.
They followed Leah to their booth, all three of them laughing and talking at the same time.
“I was getting worried about you,” Richie exclaimed, “we haven’t seen you for five days!”
Mika raised her eyebrows at her son.
Richie blushed deeply. “Oh, yeah,” he said breathlessly, “this is what you were explaining to me when we had ‘the talk’ on the boat. I… I… somehow didn’t relate it to my mom.”
Leah squirmed, and Mika smiled. “Are we okay, Son?” she asked sincerely. “I love your mother very much.”
“Yeah, we’re okay.” Richie ducked his head slightly and cut his eyes toward his mother. He leaned forward, whispering to the priest, “But could you tell Emily to stop trying to talk to me about you and mom having, ah… uh… you know.”
“I will do that right now,” Mika said. As if on cue, the sheriff shoved the diner door open and ushered in her family.
“Well, if it isn’t the newlyweds,” she barked loud enough for everyone in the diner to hear. “It’s good to see she didn’t kill you, Priest.”
Leah’s eyes darkened in fury, and Mika saw her hold out her hand, palm up. Before the fireball could form, Mika stood up and walked to the sheriff. “We need to talk,” she growled, grabbing Emily by the arm and dragging her into the back storeroom.
“I don’t care what you think or feel about Leah and me,” Mika spoke, her voice an exercise in controlled anger. “Richie is a very impressionable young man, and I find it hard to believe you behave the way you do in front of him when it comes to love between two people.”
“Or between she and I,” Emily hissed. “Or did she even tell you that I was in her bed long before you arrived on the scene?”
“Her dalliance with you was one of the first things she told me.” Mika spoke in that controlled voice that bordered on reason and violence.
“Dalliance!” the sheriff bellowed, “I fucking fucked her, and she liked it.”
The priest called on every ounce of restraint she had to keep from slamming her fist into the woman’s face. “You know what, Emily,” she hissed, “I am the one lucky enough to be doing that now. I seriously don’t like you using such crude language when speaking of my wife. You need to get over her and move on. I’m telling you right now I am all she will ever need.”
The sheriff huffed, “Because you are that good, Priest!”
“Yes, she is.” Leah swept into the room, every bit the queen. “No matter what you think of me, Emily, please don’t hurt Richie,” she pleaded. “We’re his mothers. He loves both of us. Don’t pull at him like this.”
“Yes, of course, you are right,” Emily mumbled. “This just hurts so much, Leah. What we had…”
“What we had was secretive and shameful for you and very demeaning to me,” the brunette spoke stiltedly, “you need to stop wallowing in self-pity over something that never existed.”
“Oh, Emily. No!” A small figure moved from the shadows in the corner of the room. “How could you,” Delilah sobbed as she ran from the room.
“Mom, wait. I can explain. Delilah, please…” The sheriff’s words trailed off as she ran after her mother.”
“Well, that was disturbing,” Leah rasped. She grabbed her wife’s hand and led her back into the diner. They finished breakfast with their son and headed for the docks.
“When you return, can we go on a trip in the sailboat?” Richie danced along in front of them, eager for his mother to see what they had named the boat.
“Of course we can, dear.” His mother smiled at his excitement, then stared spellbound at their boat. “My Athaliah” was painted in large flowing letters on the bow of the boat.
“Oh, Richie, Mika,” she cried, “you named her after me. I am flattered.”
“I knew she would like it.” Her son jumped into the air, laughing loudly.
“The Athaliah part was Richie’s idea,” Mika grinned. “The My was my idea.” She lowered her voice and whispered, “My queen.”
It took all her self-control to keep her hands off Mika. She didn’t want to embarrass her son.
Sensing her need, Mika swung Richie in the air, giving the boy a solid hug, then sat him down in front of his mother. “Time for us to shove off. I will start the engine. You unhook the boat and pitch the ropes onboard.” She grinned as her wife embraced their son.
Leah caught the ropes and secured them. She waved goodbye to her son, then joined her wife at the helm. Mika skillfully maneuvered the ship from the harbor and headed toward the open ocean.
“I love this.” Leah hugged her arm, pulling it between her breast.
Immediate desire consumed Mika. “Whoa, cowgirl.” She grinned mischievously for having stolen her line. “We need to get clear of the shipping lanes before I can put this thing on autopilot. If you take over, I will set the GPS coordinates and in about an hour, we can find other things to do with our hands.”