Love in Flames (4 page)

“I will keep you warm for the rest of our lives.” His breath tickled her neck as he whispered the sensual promise in her ear. She shivered again, but this time in anticipation. They had been lovers since the summer solstice, neither of them seeing anything wrong in their actions. They would have been married already except that the priest had missed his early summer visit because of illness. In their minds, they were already husband and wife. “But for now we shall join in the dance.”

Esther laughed as he released her and stepped back to join the circle of men forming on the outer edge of the fire. The women were already forming the inner circle. She hurried forward, joined hands with her friends and began to dance around the fire to the music of the flute and drum. As they rounded the fire, each spinning in an opposite direction, she caught glimpses of James through the shimmering flames.

She’d known him all her life, both of them born in the same small village, and yet he never failed to stir her heart. Taller than most, his shoulders were wide and strong due to the hard labors in the fields. His light brown hair always seemed to be a trifle too long and he kept it tied back at his nape. The twinkle in his golden-brown eyes invited all to smile with him. He was liked by all, always willing to lend a hand or a listening ear when needed. His heart was as large as he was, and she thanked God every day that he was hers.

Her heart lightened as they continued to spin around the fire. Laughter, music and chatter filled the field on this festive occasion. She found her mind drifting forward in time, imagining her wedding and the feast that would follow. Her feet moved by rote in the familiar dance, her mind spinning with dreams. She glanced through the flames, hoping to steal another peek at James. He passed from her sight as the dancers quickened their pace.

A shiver raced through her and her heart began to pound. James passed through her sight again. It was him, but not him. The man she saw this time was hideous, his skin charred almost beyond recognition, pain filling his eyes as his mouth opened on a silent scream of agony. Esther stumbled sideways, her head spinning. Impossible. What she’d seen was not possible.

“James.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she tried to break away from the women on either side of her, but they held her hands tighter, not wanting to break the ring. Her stomach roiled and her skin was clammy. She could feel the world getting darker and darker. Her feet tangled and she fell, striking her knees against the hard-packed ground. Several other women stumbled around her before they finally came to a halt.

She felt as if she might lose the contents of her stomach and wrapped her arms around her belly. “Esther?” James knelt beside her, concern in his voice and posture.

“Take me from here.” He neither asked any questions nor demanded an explanation. Scooping her into his arms, he stalked away from the fire and the crowd. “Too much excitement and celebration,” he tossed over his shoulder. Many in the crowd nodded and some laughed. By morning, Esther knew that all would suspect she was with child.

James kept walking, holding her tight in his embrace, the soothing tones of his voice washing over her, promising her that everything would be all right. She clung to his shoulders, resting her head against his chest, calmed by the strong beat of his heart.

The sounds of the raucous celebrations faded more the farther he walked. Though her eyes were closed, she could hear the whoosh of the leaves in the trees as they brushed against his shoulders and knew that James had taken her to the nearby woods. She didn’t care where she went as long as she was with him. A night owl hooted as if voicing his displeasure at their untimely intrusion. A small creature skittered across the forest floor.

Finally, he stopped.

Esther opened her eyes and blinked, allowing them to adjust to the dim light. The moon was waxing and was more than half full, and the stars were shining bright so there was enough light for her to see his face. He sat beneath a large tree, still cradling her in his arms.

“I had a vision.” Fear turned her blood to ice as she realized she had been given a portent of things to come.

“Tell me.” His voice was strong and steady, but his hands were incredibly gentle as he stroked her hair away from her face.

She feared that the image had been seared onto her brain for all time, and her voice shook as she spoke. “I saw you through the flames, yet it was not you as you are now. You had been burned almost beyond recognition and were in agony.” Burying her face against his chest, she clutched his shirt tight in her hands. “You were dying.”

James carefully pried her hands from his clothing and tipped up her chin. “None of us knows what the future may hold, my love. We can but live each day the best way we can. Perhaps this was but a warning. I will be careful, but there is naught else we can do.”

Esther wanted to scream and cry and shout at God. Why give her such a love only to take it away from her? She desperately wanted to believe that James was right. Perhaps it was a warning and not a portent at all.

Cupping her face in his hands, James lowered his mouth. His lips were warm and soft as they skimmed across hers. Threading her fingers though his hair, she tugged him closer. James was life and happiness, and she needed him to drive away the darkness.

Parting her lips, she coaxed his tongue inside. Heat swamped her as he explored the dark cavern, pooling at the apex of her thighs. Her breasts swelled, pushing against the coarse fabric of her dress. His hands slipped from her face, sliding over her neck and upper arms, setting her skin afire with his touch.

His palm covered her breast, squeezing gently. Esther pushed herself farther into his hand, urging him on. His cock was lengthening and hardening against her hip and she longed to take him inside her.

“Let me love you.” He voiced her very thoughts as he tore his mouth from hers and left a trail of hot openmouthed kisses on her neck.

“Aye.” There was no thought of denial. In her heart, this man was her husband. “Warm me. Drive away the dark vision.”

James shifted her so that she was sitting on the ground. Surging to his feet, he tore his shirt over his head and spread it on the ground next to her. He kicked off his shoes and yanked his pants off. Naked, he stood before her, offering her everything that he was. She could do no less.

Coming to her feet, she unlaced the front of her dress.

“Let me.” His voice was hoarse with desire and she would deny him nothing. She dropped her hand back to her sides, giving him silent permission.

His fingers tugged the laces wide, tracing the valley between her breasts. Her breath caught as the back of his hand stroked the curve of her breast. He ran his finger across her collarbone before settling his hands on her shoulders. Ever so slowly, he pushed the coarse fabric over her shoulders and arms. When it was free of her hands, it fell to the ground and pooled at her feet. She stepped out of her dress and James spread it next to his shirt, creating a makeshift bed for them.

Dressed now in only her cotton shift, shoes and woolen stockings, she felt hot and cold at the same time as James continued to stare at her. She could see the wonder and the love in his eyes as he reached out and cupped her breasts in his hands. Her puckered nipples were visible though the thin cloth and she moaned when he traced them with his thumbs. “You are so beautiful, Esther.”

She wanted to be with him now. Wanted to feel the heat and hardness of his body against her and within her. Stepping back, she bent down and shucked her shoes and stockings. Without stopping, she tugged her shift over her head, letting it drop to the forest floor. Lowering herself onto the spread clothing, she held out her hand to him. “Come love me.”

“Always,” he assured her as he stretched out beside her. “Nothing will ever change my love for you. Not time or circumstance.”

His words shook her to her core as her earlier vision sprang back to mind. Desperately wanting to bury it, she tugged him toward her, offering herself without reserve.

James’s hand was warm on the small mound of her belly as he leaned down and claimed her with his mouth. The kiss was thick with passion, stealing the breath from her body. His hand stroked upward until he could cup her breast, teasing her distended nipple mercilessly. Her hips rocked, searching for his hardness, wanting him to fill the aching void within her. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he continued to plunder her mouth.

He tore his mouth away, leaving her gasping for breath as he lowered his head to her breast. He kissed the tiny heart-shaped birthmark on the inner curve of her left breast, as he always did, before he covered the swollen tip and suckled. A cry was wrung from Esther’s lips as she arched toward him, wanting to get closer.

The hand on her other breast disappeared abruptly, quickly skimming down her torso and belly toward the thatch of hair between her thighs. Eagerly, she parted them, wanting his touch. She was already wet for him, ready for him to claim her. His fingers sifted through the curly hair before stroking the damp folds of her sex. She was panting hard now, so close to finding satisfaction. But she didn’t want that. Not yet. She wanted his hardness buried within her so they could both reach the peak together.

“Now, James.”

He shuddered and she could feel the flex of his cock against her hip as he pulled away and levered himself over her. She opened her legs wider and moaned as he settled atop her, bracing his weight on his forearms. His erection brushed against her opening and she cried out again, raising her hips off the ground. James fit the tip of his cock within her and held himself steady. “I love you, Esther.” He surged forward, burying himself to the hilt.

They’d made love several times before, but it still felt as if each time was the first. She thought she would burst, unable to contain all the love she felt for this man. It was if they had been fashioned specifically for one another, and not just sexually, but in every aspect of their lives.

Her hands gripped his shoulders. They were slick with sweat, his muscles bunching with exertion as he held himself still. His forearms quivered as he dropped his forehead to hers. “I cannot wait.”

“Then don’t.” Wrapping her legs around the backs of his thighs, she held on tight as he began to love her.

His strokes were long and slow at first. He sat back suddenly, gripping her hips in his hands as he plunged deep and hard and fast.

Esther dug her fingers into the warm, hard ground beneath her, searching desperately for something to hold on to. The heat between them was overwhelming as it surged to engulf her completely. Her inner muscles were clamped down hard on his cock and she knew she was close. James wrapped one strong arm around her as he continued to hammer into her. With his free hand, he stroked the small bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs.

Esther exploded. Bucking and crying incoherently, she reached out to him. James hips continued to pump frantically. He stiffened, crying out. She could feel the flood of his seed within her as he pulsed hot and hard in her core, her inner muscles milking him dry.

He slumped forward, all but collapsing upon her. She welcomed him with open arms, loving the feeling of his large body covering hers. Now that the heat of passion had passed, the cool night air began to chill her. James stirred, raised his head and smiled at her as he brushed a lock of hair from her face. “All will be well. Trust me.”

Esther was still hanging onto his words of hope several days later. The further it got from Samhain the more the image faded from her mind. Perhaps she was just being foolish and overly emotional. It was well known that when a woman was with child her emotions were volatile. She smiled softly as she stroked the slight bulge of her belly. She’d meant to tell James about their child on the night of the Samhain fire, but she’d gotten distracted by all that had happened. By her count, she was about three months along. Esther suspected that her mother knew, but she had said nothing. It was a good thing that the priest had come.

“Are you ready, Esther?” Her father stood in the doorway, waiting for her.

Taking a deep breath, she walked toward him, forever leaving behind her childhood home. “I’m ready.”

“He’s a good man or I’d not let him have you,” her father uttered gruffly as he placed her arm in the crook of his.

“I know.” She gave him a saucy smile. “I would not have him if he was not as good as you.”

Her father threw back his head, his booming laughter shaking the rafters of the three-room cottage. She glanced around one final time before stepping through the front door and making the walk to the center of the village where everyone awaited.

James stood handsome and proud before the priest, waiting for her to join him. The second she was beside him, he clasped her hand in his and gave her an encouraging squeeze. The priest smiled at them both and began. The ceremony was a blur and then James was bending down to kiss her. In a daze, she kissed him back. The villagers laughed and cheered as they greeted the newly joined couple.

Happiness filled her as she realized that they were finally about to start their life together. Surely no woman had ever been as blessed as she. The feasting and celebrating lasted the afternoon and into the evening as everyone was in good spirits.

The sun was barely set when a scream split the air. Everyone froze in place and Esther’s heart clenched as an unreasonable fear took hold of her. One of the older women pointed to the far end of the village. “Fire!”

Sure enough, dark plumes of smoke were encircling a cottage. Dropping everything, they all raced toward the growing blaze. Esther pushed herself, running as fast as she could, but she knew she’d be too late. James was in the lead, his long legs outdistancing everyone. As she watched in horror, he threw himself though the smoke-filled doorway.

Men and women alike formed a bucket line from the village well. Water sloshed as wooden buckets were quickly passed up the line and dumped on the cottage. Empty, they were raced back to the well for refilling. Other men beat at the flames with shovels, trying desperately to extinguish it.