In a Heartbeat (26 page)

pounded out a furious rhythm. She was safe; she was alive; she gasped for air.

“That was…incredible,” she said in breathless bursts.

He kissed the inside of her leg. “I wanted you to feel the pleasure of loving, without the pain of the first time.”

“You mean that wasn’t?”

“No. Technically, you’re still a virgin.” His voice lowered to a more somber tone. “We can stop here if you like. You don’t have to go through—”

“No. I want it all. I want to feel you inside me.” She meant it too. No one else. Just Hank. Always Hank.

He nodded. “Believe me, that’s where I want to be, but Angel?”

“Hmmmm?”

“I’ve got to take off this mask to put on a condom.” He hurried to add,

“I won’t look at you, if you don’t want me to. But I really need—”

“It’s okay.” Considering what he had just done, the places he had explored with such attention to detail, her earlier concerns seemed suddenly childish. She wasn’t a child any longer.

He shoved the mask to the top of his head, opened a drawer in a bedside table and removed a foil square. It took only a few moments before he was back.

He repositioned himself, then looked up at her. “My God, you’re beautiful.” She felt a fresh tingling across her chest, then with one surge and an internal pinch, he was inside of her. He settled his weight across her torso and soothed the hair away from her face. “Are you okay? Was that too much? I thought the pain would be less if I was quick.”

The concern in his voice, combined with the silly mask perched on the top of his head, made something swell deep inside. He had no concept of the pain she had endured in the past. That he should worry so much about that pinch, and a little accommodation… She smiled, remembering how large he had expanded—okay, a lot of accommodation.

Still, his concern endeared him further in her heart.

www.samhainpublishing.com 193

Donna Richards

“I’m fine,” she replied. “More than fine.”

He moved inside her. Long strokes, powerful strokes. He established a rhythm and her body rose to meet his thrusts in a similar tempo. She tried to see his face, but couldn’t see past his chin. He continued to drive into her with determination and need until at the height of one thrust, he stopped, held tense, then relaxed on top of her. She relaxed with him, dismissing her sore muscles in favor of enjoying the comfort of his weight, and that he joined her like a key in a lock. She squeezed her muscles tight around him. He groaned.

“You can feel that?” she said, amazed.

“Oh baby, you have no idea.”

That felt good. She was raw and sore and trapped under a man three times her size, but she wasn’t without control. Smiling, she listened to the reassuring sound of his heartbeat. This was good, a miracle in itself.

A silent prayer of gratitude winged upward.

He slowly pulled out of her and she instantly missed the close contact. “I’ll be right back,” he said, padding off for the adjoining bathroom.

The squeak of a stubborn faucet and the rush of running water issued from the bathroom. She smiled at the flickering candlelight dancing on the ceiling. She felt complete and mystically transformed. For the first time that she could remember, she felt normal. Normal and experienced, she modified. She didn’t think she could look at life and men, especially Hank, the same way again.

“Here, try this.” He sat on the side of the bed, the mask comically propped on his head, and pressed a warm, damp cloth between her legs.

“It might make you feel better.” Her hand replaced his. He stroked the inside of her arm.

“Any regrets?” he asked with poorly concealed concern.

“Yes.” She smiled. “I regret I couldn’t see your face when you were inside me.”

194

www.samhainpublishing.com

In a Heartbeat

Relief washed over his face. A small smile pulled at his cheek. “There are other positions, you know, where that is entirely possible.” He brushed his hand through his hair and tangled it in the black satin.

They both laughed, he at the discovery and she at his expression.

“I’m sorry I made you wear that,” she said, stroking his naked thigh.

Her fear that he’d reject her seemed so irrational now, in light of what they had shared.

“I’m not,” he said. “It provided a heightened experience, although I doubt I can ever wear it again without thinking of this night.”
And you.

He didn’t say the words but his smile conveyed the sentiment. A warm, liquid contentment expanded within her chest. She wanted to hold on to the moment, but her body had other ideas. Her mouth contorted in a gaping yawn.

“I know it’s been a long night. Why don’t you get some rest?” He reached for the damp cloth. “Let me take that.”

“You’re coming back?” she asked, hoping he couldn’t hear the alarm in her voice. He couldn’t leave her in this bed alone, not tonight.

“Of course. Just let me take care of this.”

“Okay then,” she said, or she thought she said, she wasn’t sure which. She thought she’d just rest her eyes for a moment till he returned. Just for a moment…

He tossed the washcloth in the sink, trying to avoid looking at the bloodstains. My God, what had he done? He couldn’t even raise his eyes to the mirror. She was so trusting, so full of passion, so… His gaze fell to the sleep mask clenched tight in his hand. So magnificent. She deserved someone better than him, that’s for sure. Someone who didn’t make commitments to people they didn’t love. He turned out the lights, stepped back into the bedroom and glanced at the petite form huddled in his bed.

He smiled, warmed by the sight. A petite form with the heart of a giant sleeping away in his bed.

He blew out the candles that had burned down to glowing pools of wax, then slipped into the bed beside her.

www.samhainpublishing.com 195

Donna Richards

Almost immediately she turned toward him and snuggled closer. His arm instinctively wrapped around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Early the next morning, Oreo’s loud sniffs at the crack of the door woke her from a fabulous dream. Not for the first time, she wished her mother had reconsidered her decision not to put in a pet door. Of course her mother wasn’t the one getting up first thing in the morning to let the dog out.

“I’m coming,” she muttered against the pillow and tried to rise from the bed. She couldn’t move. Something held her at her waist and…pressed against her back. She forced her eyes open and saw a man’s arm. Memories of the previous night came streaming back. She relaxed. So this is how it felt to wake up next to a man. Nice, very nice. A warm, lazy sluggishness swept her from shoulder to toe. She snuggled backwards to press her back against Hank’s chest. His arm tightened around her and his warm breath stirred the tiny hairs on the back of her neck.

Spooning
, she thought.
That’s what they call this
. Lying like two spoons nestled in a drawer. Oreo whimpered outside the door. Knowing the whimper would soon turn to a bark, Angie reluctantly lifted Hank’s arm so she could slip off the side of the bed.

She found a white terry cloth robe several sizes too big hanging on the back of the bathroom door. Repositioning the belt so that it tied at her waist instead of low on her hips, she crossed the room and slipped out the door.

Oreo’s tail began a steady sway the minute Angie opened the door.

She headed through the great room to the sliding glass doors with Oreo on her heels. Together they went outside into the chill morning.

196

www.samhainpublishing.com

In a Heartbeat

Angie hopped from one foot to the other, wishing she had thought to search for slippers, while Oreo dashed past the covered pool and onto the frost-covered lawn beyond.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry,” she said, crossing her arms to hold the heat in. Steam puffed with each exhale. Oreo explored the expansive lawn oblivious to the cold. Angie’s gaze alternated with the dog’s movements and the new day spreading in glorious pink and gold across the eastern sky.

A flash of light burst from the western side of the wide, deep lawn. At least she thought she saw a flash. Tugging the robe tighter around her, she searched the base of a line of pine trees for movement. Other than the few birds that had decided to forego migration, everything was still and peaceful. An uneasiness settled over her. Something didn’t
feel
right, although she’d be hard-pressed to explain what. Oreo trotted to her side, apparently finished with her morning constitutional.

“Good girl,” she said, patting the dog’s head. “Let’s go inside.” Oreo headed immediately for the door. After one last glance to the row of pines, Angie followed.

“Hope you’re hungry.” Hank called from the kitchen when she stepped through the sliding glass door. He stood at the kitchen counter, a chef’s apron tied over his naked chest. “The pan is heating up. Give me a couple of minutes and we’ll have some bacon and eggs.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said, closing the door behind her. She thought to grab the lapels of the robe to cover her scar, but then resisted. After last night she supposed she had little to hide.

The realization was empowering. She let the lapels fall back into place and crossed the room toward the kitchen.

“Something smells awfully good,” she said, taking a deep drink of freshly brewed coffee. Hank laid a couple of slices of bacon in the pan.

“Sounds good, too.”

If the sight of her scar in the light of day repulsed him, Hank didn’t show it. She relaxed further.

www.samhainpublishing.com 197

Donna Richards

“I thought you’d like some breakfast.” He cracked a couple of eggs and dropped them in the pan, then pointed a long turning fork toward the bar stools at the counter. “Have a seat.”

“Let me get Oreo some—”

He intercepted her the moment she stepped into the kitchen. Closing his arms around her, he pulled her against his chest. “Good morning,”

he said. His distinctive male scent wrapped around her as securely as his arms.

The kiss chased the chill from her bones and warmed her like bread popping from the toaster. He tasted of toothpaste and mouthwash, reminding her that she hadn’t performed that little bit of hygiene, but it didn’t seem to matter to him. She lifted her hands to either side of his face with full intent to slide them down to his shoulders, but the rasp of his morning stubble intrigued her fingertips and they stayed. She welcomed and encouraged the deepening of the kiss with knowledge born from last night’s passion. He growled deep in his throat, delighting her.

“Angel,” he murmured under his breath. He rubbed his scratchy cheek against hers for a moment. He pulled back. “How are you feeling this morning?”

At this very moment, she felt fabulous, womanly, and very, very normal. “Great,” she said. “Why?”

“After last night, I wasn’t sure if you had…” He focused his gaze somewhere below her face.

“Regrets?” she said, guessing at the word that seemed stuck in his throat.

His gaze lifted to hers, but they both smelled smoke from the burning bacon at the same time.

“Shit!” He turned toward the stovetop. Bare buttocks flashed at her beneath the tie of the apron.

“You’re naked!”

“Not exactly.” He moved the smoking pan to a cool burner, flipped on the exhaust fan full blast before turning off the stove. “After all, I was frying bacon and you’ve got my robe. I had to wear something.”

198

www.samhainpublishing.com

In a Heartbeat

They laughed and sat on stools to drink coffee and eat toast.

“You looked worried when you let the dog in. I was afraid you had misgivings about last night,” Hank said, nursing a mug of coffee.

“No. Last night was wonderful. I have no regrets.” She squeezed his hand for emphasis. How could she regret loving this talented, wonderful man? “I just thought I saw something outside a few minutes ago. A movement, a flash, something and it surprised me.”

“Probably a deer,” he said, obviously relieved at her answer. He squeezed her hand back, then removed their plates to the sink. “There’s a lot of them out here. You should see them at dusk. Then they really come out.”

It wasn’t a deer, Angie knew that much, but she wasn’t exactly sure what she saw. “It’s probably nothing,” she said, ignoring the shiver that vibrated her spine. “Probably just my imagination.” She took one last sip from her cup, then slipped off the stool. “I better get dressed or I’ll be late for church.”

“Church? You go to church?”

You would have thought by his dropped jaw that she had said she was going to Venus. She smiled, “Of course, silly, it’s Sunday. I’d invite you to go with me, but people can’t see –-”

“Us together,” he finished her sentence with a nod. “I guess I don’t know many single people our age who go to church voluntarily.”

“I suppose that’s because you don’t know many people on the receiving end of a miracle.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, remembering that he had treated her to some pretty miraculous experiences himself last night. “Besides it’s time I get back. My mother will be coming home soon and I need to clean the place up a bit.”

After she had changed and had rounded up Oreo, Hank walked her to the door. “Call me later?”

“Definitely” he said.

This time she initiated the kiss. Another first.

www.samhainpublishing.com 199

Donna Richards

She flipped the car radio to her favorite station and sang along with all the love songs. A beautiful morning was following a magical night. The slight aching between her legs proved that it all hadn’t been a dream.

She wouldn’t suddenly wake up wanting what she knew she’d never experience. At the first stoplight, she lowered the passenger window so Oreo could stick her head out and smell the wind. The chill breeze felt pleasantly refreshing and verified that she was awake, alive and happier than she could ever remember being. The morning was perfect until she noticed the swirling red and blue police lights in her driveway.