Part 3 (1/2)
He managed to open his eyes as she sank to his chest with a sigh. Wrapping his arms around her, he rubbed her spine in a long slow sweep, complete for the first time in half a century.
Chapter 5.
Silently cursing, Alexei reluctantly slipped from her bed. The sky outside her window ripened with the coming morning and he had to remove himself to his lair within minutes or face the painful consequences.
Nude, he gathered his scattered clothing, tossing it carelessly over his arm as he moved about the room. His fingertips brushed the stiff velvet corset and he picked it up. Her scent rose from the fabric as a stab of desire shot to his loins. His fist knotted around the hard plastic stays. He raised the corset to his nose, inhaling her perfume, the scent of her skin. A soft shudder ran through him and his arm dropped as if his muscles were suddenly unable to support even the slight weight of the garment.
Head always been weak where she was concerned. With each incarnation, his desire for her grew and each time he lost her, head been devastated. No matter how hard head tried, head never succeeded in saving her life. With each loss, head lost another piece of himself until he often wondered if anything remained of the human head once been.
He dropped the corset on the back of a chair and looked at his lover. Elaine lay on her stomach, the covers twisted about her long legs, her back exposed. Her hair was tangled from his fingers as theyad made love, her lips swollen from his kisses. Rosy with life, her skin glowed with contentment.
His lips tightened. She was his, for now and forever and, this time, he was determined to never lose her.
The low throbbing in her head took her from sleep to full wakefulness in seconds. Elaine opened her eyes, her heart constricting at the dimness in the room. A cry locked in her throat as she sat up in her nest of silken sheets and her hand moved to her forehead where the grinding pain was centered.
aNoaa Her knees collapsed as she tried to get to her feet and she slid to a heap on the floor by the bed. Her hands shook uncontrollably as tears of desperation filled her eyes.
Not now, not yet.
Threatened tears spilled over and she covered her eyes with her fists, trying to stop the tide. Alexeias scent swirled about her, filling her with a sense of yearning so powerful that she nearly crumpled beneath the onslaught. For a split second, she failed to breathe, her heart thudding so hard she thought it might explode from her chest. What she wouldnat give to have his arms around her for five more minutes more. A bitter laugh escaped her. Who was she kidding? Five years in his arms would never be enough.
He must never knowa She sank into the carpeting as helpless sobs ripped through her. She barely knew him, but she had the strange sense that theyad known each other forever. Never had she met a man whom shead felt immediately comfortable with, whom shead felt she could tell almost anything and he wouldnat bat an eye. Alexei seemed to understand her better than she did herself. What a cruel twist of fate it was to meet The One just as her life was ebbing.
She stifled her sobs with her hands, crying until she could cry no more. Her throat ached and her headache had intensified though it wasnat unbearable for her to reach for the pain pills she carried with her everywhere.
Not yet.
Dr. Peach had told her this would probably be the way shead die. The tumor that was slowly destroying her brain would take first her sight, her consciousness, and her life in short order. There was nothing she could do, the tumor was inoperable and, this time, it would kill her.
The last time shead dealt with this demon was almost four years ago. After a long and painful round of radiation, chemotherapy then finally surgery, Dr. Peach had declared her cancer free. But she hadnat made it to that magical, five-year mark, had she?
So close and yet so far.
She bit her lip, hard. Shead come to Dirkas house to have one last fling with a handsome man. At the time of her diagnosis three months earlier, she hadnat been dating anyone and, after the diagnosis, she hadnat felt it fair to become involved with a man knowing head only lose her. No one knew how long she had left to live.
This time it really was it.
She rubbed her eye with the heel of her left hand. She couldnat complaina Well, she could, but whoad listen? With the first diagnosis, her chances had been less than fifty-fifty and shead defied the odds and survived four years. It had been a wonderfula no, make that magical four years and shead relished every moment of it.
Shead been lucky to have the financial resources to live as she wished thanks to a trust from her paternal grandmother. Shead traveled, seen almost everything shead wanted to see, spent time with friends, volunteered for various charities, and now she was writing the final chapter to a wonderful life.
What would you give for one more day?
Anything, anything at all.
She sniffed, tears threatening again at the thought of Alexei. No, it was better that she left now, before he knew she was ill. For a while head wonder what happened to her, why shead left without a word, but this was for the best. She never wanted him to know she was sick. She wanted him to remember her as shead been last night, hale and hearty, laughing in his arms.
She braced her hands against the carpet and pushed upright. Keeping her eyes closed, she leaned back against the bed, needing a moment of darkness to steady herself. As long as she kept her eyes closed, she could fool herself into being normal for a few seconds longer. Whenever shead closed her eyes, it was always dark, right? But it was when she opened them that her world was forever altereda She blinked, her heart in her throat.
The room was lighter.
She blinked again, barely daring to believe her eyes. Outside the window, a gray rain was falling and the sun was struggling to break through the dissipating clouds. Stunned, she struggled to her knees and crawled across the ocean of carpeting in pursuit of the faded patch of sunlight streaming through the windows. She was barely aware of the faint whimpers escaping her throat as she reached the door, her palms pressed against the cool gla.s.s as the sunlight, stronger now, cascaded over her.
Tears dampened her cheeks as her vision wavered. She blinked away the wetness and the scene sharpened. The rain slowed to a fine mist and the sun broke through the clouds, illuminating the gardens outside her windows.
Her gaze darted madly, flitting from the brilliant roses to the tangled ma.s.s of spiky columbines. The fat cherub in the center fountain continued pouring water from a big vase, a silly grin on its face. Rows of brilliant green hedges glistened with rain in the strengthening light as a feeling of joy clutched her heart.
Iam not going blind. It was the rain, only the rain.
Laughter bubbled and she tilted her head back. Tears streamed down her face and the sun was warm on her face as she gave silent thanks for another day.
He couldnat take his eyes off her.
Alexei glanced over his shoulder in time to see Elaine duck under an overhanging branch, her seat sure and steady in the saddle. Her horse, a soft gray mare, walked easily behind his as they rode into the dark Colorado night. The air was cool but her thick sweater should keep her warm enough.
He looked forward. Until he could warm her, that is.
When head arrived at her room, mere moments after sunset, shead thrown herself into his arms as if shead feared never seeing him again. He was pleased by her reaction. It reminded him of the woman shead been before. Always open and loving, this incarnation of his love was far more guarded than shead been in any other lifetime. Then again, she was older than shead ever been as well. He pondered that for a second. In this lifetime, shead lived to be older than in any other lifetime. Maybe, on some cosmic level, shead been waiting for him as well?
He liked that idea a lot. Soon, it would be time to tell her about their lives together. For now, he still had work to do. The more attached she became to him the smoother the transition would be when it came time to enlighten her.
Or so he hoped.
He pushed the thought away. He would succeed; the universe couldnat be so cruel as to take her away from him again. This evening he wasnat going to worry, for he was about to show her the eighth wonder of the world and he couldnat wait to see her reaction.
The trail grew steadily rockier, but the horses handled the path with ease. No doubt theyad followed the trail to the grotto on many occasions.
A few minutes later, a rocky outcropping surrounded by trees came into view. He pointed his horse to a sheltered area between some tall trees before speaking. aWeall dismount here.a He reined in his horse and dismounted before turning to a.s.sist her. Born to the saddle, head ridden since he was three years old.
aAre we still on Dirkas property?a she asked.
aYes.a He slid his hands around her waist and guided her to the ground. aWeave barely scratched the surface of his holdings. However, our destination is just ahead.a She tipped her head back, her expression teasing in the moonglow. aSo secretive.a aJust wait and see what I have in store for you.a He wiggled his brows in a mock-lecherous look.
She blinked, then her eyes narrowed. aThat street goes both ways, my friend.a aIam counting on it.a He retrieved a backpack and pulled stakes from a side flap. Pounding them into the ground, he staked the horses so they had room to graze. When done, he slid the pack on his back, adjusting it until it was comfortable. aCome.a He held his hand out toward her.
She laced her fingers through his and he led her into the woods.
aItas dark, how can you see?a she asked, stumbling over a branch.
aFollow my steps and youall be fine. Iave been here many times and I know the way by heart. Donat worry, I wonat lead you astray.a She gave a throaty laugh. aThatas too bad as itas exactly what I was hoping for.a He gave her hand a squeeze as they neared the rocky outcropping that sheltered their destination. Sliding around a cl.u.s.ter of bushes, Alexei led her into the darkness of a narrow creva.s.se in the rock.