Part 4 (2/2)

She sat up. Why? Why did she have to be content with only a small slice when she could have had the entire pie?

Because thatas all you can havea Her shoulders slumped. A few days werenat nearly enough, nor were a few years. With the way she was feeling now, eternity wouldnat satisfy her.

But you donat have eternity, do you?

If only Alexei were right and they had an eternity together. If she knew that in her next life shead have a chance at the same type of ecstasy shead known in the past few days, she would face her death with greater bravery knowing that somewhere in the future, he awaited her.

What a beautiful dream that was.

But reality was that she was dying, slowly, day by day as her life slipped through her fingers. She only had today, that she knew. For her, the future was no more than five minutes ahead. More than that, she couldnat count on.

Clouds obscured the sun as Elaine stood with Dirk on the deck, a gla.s.s of chardonnay in her hand.

aItas beautiful here.a She sipped from the drink.

aIt is, but I never appreciated it when I was younger. I saw only the ostentation of the place, never the beauty and the quiet it offered.a aYouth is wasted on the young.a She shook her head. aWe spend our childhood racing to grow up. We spend our twenties trying to make our mark in the world, our thirties looking for the perfect mate only to find that no one is perfect and itas all a matter of what we can put up with.a He laughed. aYouare right. But what happens when we hit our forties?a aI donat know, Dirk.a She looked up at him, his face as familiar to her as her own. aYouall have to figure that out for me.a She longed to take back the words as she watched his smile fade. She wished she couldave made some glib remark and let the moment pa.s.s, but she could never do that with Dirk, he always saw through her.

He set his gla.s.s down and pulled her into his arms. aI canat imagine my life without you, little sister.a She rubbed her forehead against the soft cashmere of his sweater. aAnd I, you.a His grip tightened. aAll the money in the world and I canat help you.a She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of her best friend, a mixture of sandalwood, tobacco and memories. Tears stung her eyes at the thought of leaving him behind. Theyad been friends for more years than she cared to count. Every major event in her life, Dirk had been by her side and she by his.

aI need a favor from you,a she sniffed.

He dropped a kiss on her head. aYou only have to ask.a aWhen the time comesaa He stiffened in her arms. aI want to know that I can depend on you to take care of the arrangements. Iave outlined what I want for the funeral and the internment. The doc.u.ments are in my New York apartment safe and my lawyer has a copy as well.a aShall I hire a bra.s.s band?a His voice was raw and his chest shuddered beneath her cheek. She knew he was crying.

aNope,a she sniffed. aKeep it simple, you know what to do and who to invite.a She felt him nod.

aDonat forget to call Jeff.a Dirk gave a broken laugh at the mention of their drag-queen friend. aOkay.a aHe can come only if he promises not to wear a red boa and I donat want anyone throwing themselves on the casket, either.a aNow thereas an image.a Dirk gave her another squeeze before releasing her. She looked up at his dear face, streaked with tears, his expression uncharacteristically serious. aWhat am I going to do without you, Laine?a She smiled as her vision wavered and her eyes filled with more tears. aYouare going to marry Veronique and be blissfully happy. Then, in a few years, youall start squeezing out some pups, buy a mini-van, run a soccer camp and retire to the country in domesticated bliss.a A look of abject horror crossed his face and she laughed.

aYouare an evil woman,a he said.

aYes, I am. I will be watching you, every step of the way and Iall be taking notes. When you diea a She turned away and pointed to a fat cloud on the horizon. aIall meet you there and weall share a bottle of celestial wine and compare notes.a aThat sounds like a plan to me.a He laced an arm around her waist.

aCan I ask you a question?a aSure.a aTell me, do you believe in destiny?a * * * * *

Elaine slipped into the cool silence of the gallery, grateful for the only oasis of stillness in the house. The partygoers were leaving and the constant stream of cars, luggage, and people saying goodbye to their host was giving her a vicious headache. She shut the gla.s.s doors behind her, entombing herself in silence.

All day long shead been plagued with the ache in her head. Not enough to completely disable her, but enough to remind her that time was running out. As if she needed to be reminded of that.

She pushed that thought away. Some people lived day by day. Shead learned to live hour by hour.

She drifted past the masterpieces by Monet, Pica.s.so, and Dega. Committing each one to memory before moving to the next, every one was a treat to the senses. The silence soothed her aching head as well as her soul.

At the far end of the long room, she found the new painting Dirk had mentioned. Sealed behind gla.s.s, she had to step closer to get a good look. Not much larger than a sheet of writing paper, the images were dark and erotic in tone. The subjects, a man and a woman, clasped in a torrid embrace. The man was shown only from the back, his hair long and dark as he bent over his companion to feast on her exposed breast. She blinked as she took in the womanas face, her ecstasy painted for the world to see.

My, it looks like me!

Startled, she stepped back, her hand going to her throat. Well, it really wasnat her but there certainly was a strong resemblance. The hair was lighter in color and much longer than she normally wore hers. But the heart-shaped face and the small birthmark on her breast were exactly the same. She gently rubbed the matching spot on her own breast, aware of a faint tingling sensation just under her skin. Was it possible that an ancestor had posed for the portrait?

Do you believe in destiny?

As if he were standing next to her, Alexeias voice echoed in her mind. She wrapped her arms across her chest as a s.h.i.+ver ran down her spine. Had he known about this painting? Was that where head hatched the idea that theyad known each other in another life?

Beneath the painting was a discreet bra.s.s plate proclaiming the t.i.tle and painteras name. She was dismayed to find that it contained only initials, Redemption by A. R.

Alexei?

She stepped back to study the painting. Judging from the clothing, the portrait was painted around the turn of the century, give or take twenty years. The womanas burgundy skirt was long, ankle length and with the manas thigh insinuated between hers, the hem had crept up to reveal her white stockings and b.u.t.ton-down shoes. Her eyes were half closed, her lips parted in ecstasy as she enjoyed her loveras attentions.

Not unlike her and Alexeia She switched her gaze to the man. His shoulders were broad, his hips narrow and he wore knee boots, like Alexei.

It certainly looked like hima No. A lot of men could resemble Alexei from the back; it couldnat possibly be him as people simply didnat live for hundreds of years. It defied modern science.

Unless he really is a vampirea She rubbed the tense spot between her eyes. What did this mean? Her rational mind wanted to scream to be reasonable while another part, a big part of her wanted it to be true. She was shocked to find she wanted to acknowledge that this painting was the proof that Alexei was right, they had been together in another life.

She drew her fingers over the gla.s.s that covered the painted lovers. She wished he were here right now. Head help her untangle her confused feelings and possibly have a good laugh over this. But he wasnat and wouldnat be back for at least another day.

She turned away from the painting and the disturbing images it brought to mind. She needed to go back to her room and lay down for a while. Dirk was planning a quiet dinner for them and she wanted to be in tiptop form for it. It would be a great opportunity to ferret out information on Alexei.

Chapter 8.

All night long shead dreamed of Alexei. One such dream was a vision of him playing a guitar under the full moon while she danced barefoot in the gra.s.s. Dressed as gypsies head looked devastatingly handsome as she twirled to the music head enticed from the instrument.

Her skirt had contained the colors of the rainbow, her white peasant blouse barely hiding her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as golden bracelets sang with her evocative movements.

Breathless and flushed from the sensual dance, shead gone to him, putting aside his instrument, and theyad lain on the gra.s.s and made love, their cries echoing among the woods.

It wasnat reala But it seemed so real. Even now, she could almost taste the heady wine of the night air, the feel of his hands on her skin as theyad seduced and teased one another, journeying to the heights together. In her mind he lay beside her, whispering all the erotic things he wanted to do to her, with her, and shead only been to eager to obey.

The dull throb in her head brought her from sleep into full wakefulness. She didnat have to reach for the other side of the bed to know she was alone. Rather than face the empty s.p.a.ce, she rolled toward the windows.

The room was dim, the sun obliterated by thick clouds and a thin gray drizzle. The weather certainly suited her dark mood and heavy head.

The phone rang.

She squinted at the clock, but the room was too dim to see what time it was. Fumbling for the receiver, she mumbled a greeting into it.

aDid I awake you?a His voice poured over her skin like warm fudge, welcome and warming her from the inside out.

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