Take Me Forever (10 page)

Finally, the path widened and Mercy saw a magnificent
view.
 
In front of her was a waterfall
that had to be at least forty feet tall.
 
The water was gushing over the rocks and splashing into a lagoon.
 
Orange, pink, and lavender flowers surrounded
the pool of water along with green foliage.

Cain led her to a large flat rock at the edge of the
lagoon.
 
He tied the horse to a tree and
invited her to sit down.
 
He took off all
of his clothes before sitting down beside her.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought I’d go for a swim.
 
Care to join me?”
 
Cain asked as he dove off of the rock and
into the clear, blue, tranquil water.

Mercy watched in silence as Cain swam in the water.
 
Every stroke he made with his broad arms made
her yearn for his touch.
 
She looked
around and thought that this place looked familiar.
 
My
dream!
 
This is the place!

Quickly, Mercy discarded her clothing and jumped into the
water to join her soul mate.
 
She swam to
him as he gazed upon her beauty.
 
They
stood in the shallow water and stared at each other in silence.

“Make love to me Cain,” she begged with wanting eyes.

“My pleasure, My Love,” Cain responded as he attacked her
body with a lustful lunge.

In mere seconds, he had her body hot with desire.
 
His hands roamed her wet skin and his lips
frantically covered her neck and breasts.
 
She moaned in pleasure as it echoed out across the water.
 
Cain could hold back no longer as he guided
her to the rock.

Slowly, he picked her up and climbed out of the water onto
the rock ledge.
 
The sun beamed down onto
his back as he covered her body with his.
 
They made love like it was the first time all over again savoring each
second.
 
It was better than in her
dreams.
 
This time it was real.
 
His name rang out across the water as she
screamed it out in orgasm.

After he found his own triumphant release, they basked in
the sun and slept for a couple of hours.
 
Cain awoke first and slipped into the water.
 
Mercy sensed he was gone and opened her
eyes.
 
She found him playing in the water
like a small child.
 
He seemed so
peaceful and relaxed.
 

She watched as he wrung out his hair by spinning around in
the water and letting the motion help dry it.
 
She laughed at his childishness.
 
He heard her laughter and swam back to the rock.
 
He began splashing water up on the rock ledge
and all over her.

“Stop!
 
Our
clothes.
 
They’re all wet,” she shrieked.

“So.
 
We have all day
for them to dry.
 
Come play with me.”

Obeying him, she jumped in and splashed him.
 
They frolicked in the water.
 
They kissed and pranced around like they were
the only two people in the world.
 
They
had no cares or concerns about anything except themselves.
 
Mercy wished this day would never end as the
sun began to slowly disappear behind the waterfall.

With darkness approaching, they dressed themselves and
mounted the horse.
 
It took them an hour
to get back to the beach.
 
The beach was
deserted so Cain seized the opportunity.
 
He told Mercy to remain on the beach while he returned the horse back to
the owner.
 
When he returned, he had
something behind his back.

“What are you hiding?”

“Nothing,” he answered playfully.

“Let me see,” she begged as she tried to get behind him.

“It’s only this,” Cain said as he pulled out a bottle of red
wine and two glasses.

They sat on the beach and drank wine while they watched the
waves roll into the shore.
 
The moon
illuminated the sky when they finished the last of the wine.
 
Cain tossed the empty bottle out into the
sea.
 
He took their glasses and threw
them aside.

“What are you doing?”
 
Mercy asked as Cain gently pushed her down against the sand.

“I want you right here and right now,” Cain whispered as he
found his way under her dress.

“Don’t you ever get enough?”

“Never.
 
I’ll never
get enough of you, my wife.”

“Suppose someone sees us?”
 
Mercy asked timidly.

“Who cares?
 
This is
my island.
 
I can do as I please and it
pleases me to have you,” Cain responded as he climbed on top of her after
loosening his trousers.

Once again, they made love.
 
They rolled around in the sand as they waves came crashing in on top of
them.
 
Mercy had sand all over her when
they finished their lovemaking.
 
Her hair
was all matted and dirty as was his.

“I’ll never get all of this sand out of my hair,” Mercy
whined.

“It was well worth it,” Cain said as they brushed off as
much sand as they could before putting their clothes back on.

Once they arrived home, Cain instructed Elese to draw them a
bath.
 
They decided to eat supper out on
the patio since they were such a mess and bathe after they ate.
 
Elese smiled at the two young lovers when she
served their supper.
 
She had never seen
Cain so happy.
 
Mercy was exactly what he
needed.
 
Now maybe he would forget about
his revenge vendetta and settle down.

After Elese announced that the bath was ready, Cain whisked
Mercy out of her seat and carried her to the bath.
 
He undressed her as she undressed him.
 
They climbed into the hot water.
 
He slowly bathed her and washed her golden
hair.
 
When she was washed Mercy bathed
him and washed his long black hair.

With every morsel of sand removed from their bodies, Cain
and Mercy quickly dried off and retired to the bedroom.
 
They were both exhausted from their day.
 
The last thing Mercy remembered as she
drifted off to sleep was Cain whispering her name as found his own dream world.

The next morning when Mercy awoke, she found herself
alone.
 
Her eyes focused on her
surroundings as she found a long stem white rose on the pillow beside her.
 
She smiled as she picked it up and smelled
the sweet aroma.
 
Cain was everything she
had ever longed for.
 
He had shown her a
sensitive side that not many people knew existed.

After she dressed, Mercy stumbled down the hall and into the
kitchen.
 
Elese had gone to the market,
so Mercy grabbed some fruit off of the table to eat.
 
She decided to go sit out on the patio and
enjoy the morning sun while she ate.

As she walked outside, she heard Cain’s voice echo from
around the house.
 
She was just about to
call out for him when she heard another voice.
 
Her curiosity got the better of her as she moved closer to hear what was
being said after she heard her name mentioned.

“Cain, she is bound to find out sooner or later,” Luke
responded.

“Not if I can help it.
 
Now, do as I say and take the note to France.
 
Wait for a response and make sure you’re not
followed back here,” Cain ordered.

“Aye Captain,” Luke said as he took his leave.

Mercy was certain the conversation she just overheard part
of was about her.
 
She hurried back
inside the house so Cain wouldn’t catch her eavesdropping.
 
She was sitting at the kitchen table when he
came in and sat down beside her.

“How long have you been up?”
 
Cain asked.

“Just a few minutes,” she tried to answer sleepily.

While Cain was eating some fruit, Mercy was desperately
trying to figure out a way she could ask him about what she overheard.
 
She knew that Luke was going to France so an
idea came to her.

“Cain, I was thinking.
 
Why don’t we invite Luke and his wife over to dinner tonight?
 
I need to make some friends, and I could get
acquainted with her while you men talk,” Mercy asked as she played with the
curls in her hair.

“That’s a grand idea, but unfortunately Luke left this
morning for France to run an errand for me.
 
Perhaps you could go visit his wife today instead,” Cain answered
knowing his secret would be safe because all of his crew was sworn to secrecy
or else they would watch as their family members were killed in front of them.

“I suppose so,” Mercy responded.

If Cain wouldn’t tell her anything, maybe Luke’s wife
could.
 
Surely Luke told his wife why he
was being sent to France.
 
When Elese
returned from the market, Cain instructed her to escort Mercy to Luke’s place.

Mercy could not wait to meet Luke’s wife.
 
After Cain left for town, she hurriedly got
ready and waited on Elese to put the things from the market away.
 
She was on pins and needles when Elese called
for her.

“Mercy, are you ready?”

“Yes,” Mercy answered anxiously.

When they arrived at Luke’s door, Mercy told Elese that she
could go on about her business.

“Are you sure?”

“You don’t have to babysit me.
 
I will be fine,” Mercy said as she knocked on
the door.

Bethany McKay opened the door just as Elese reluctantly
agreed to leave Mercy.

“Hello, I’m Mercy Corbin.”

“Please come in.
 
I’m
sorry I didn’t get to talk to you at the wedding, but the baby was ill,”
Bethany said as she guided Mercy to the sitting area.

“Your little girl is beautiful,” Mercy said as Bethany began
to feed her daughter.

“She’s all I have with Luke away most of the time.”

“It’s a pity.
 
What
was it Cain sent him to do again in France?
 
He told me this morning, but it has slipped my mind,” Mercy asked
sneakily.

“I never ask about his business.
 
I just trust that he will come home safely.”

“It doesn’t bother you to not know where he goes or what he
is doing?”
 
Mercy asked perplexed.

“You’ll learn soon enough.
 
It’s better not to know.
 
You
won’t worry as much if you don’t know the perils of their journeys.”

“I suppose your right,” Mercy answered in defeat that she
would learn nothing from her new friend.

After another hour of endless chit chat, Elese came knocking
on the door for Mercy.
 
Mercy was more
than eager to escape Bethany’s boring stories and thanked her for her
hospitality.
 
She did enjoy making a new
friend but her mind was too preoccupied with wanting to solve the mystery.

Over dinner, Mercy persuaded Cain to take her for a walk
along the beach.
 
Hand in hand, they
strolled along the moonlit beach.
 
He
paused and watched the tide roll into the shore as he pulled her into his arms.

“I hope you like the life I have created for you Mercy,”
Cain said as he gently kissed his new bride.

“I do, except for all the secrets.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why is Luke’s mission such secrecy?
 
What does it have to do with me?”
 
Mercy boldly asked.

“What?”
 
Cain asked
stunned.

“Tell me Cain,” Mercy demanded.

“Mercy, what gave you the idea it was about you?”

“I heard you talking to Luke at the house this morning,”
Mercy confessed.

“You were eavesdropping!”
 
Cain said.
 

“Not intentionally.
 
I
was looking for you when I heard voices.”

“What did you hear,” Cain demanded as he interrupted her.

After Mercy told Cain all she had heard earlier, he was
outraged.
 
He grasped her tightly around
the wrists.
 
He was so angry, but not at
her.
 
He was angry with himself for being
so careless.
 
Mercy could see the rage in
his eyes and felt his wrath around her wrists while she waited silently for him
to calm down.

“I’m sorry Cain,” Mercy said as she began to cry.

“From now on, make your presence known.
 
It’s not a woman’s business to know her
husband’s affairs,” Cain stated as he released his hold on her.

Mercy had never seen Cain so angry and she was suddenly
afraid of him.
 
Frantically, Mercy began
to run up the beach.
 
In a couple of
quick lunges, Cain caught her and threw her to the ground.
 
Suddenly, her memory came flooding back to
her.
 
Mercy shook with fear and rage
beneath him.
 
Everything he had put her
through, she remembered in absolute detail.
 
Mustering all the strength she could, Mercy slapped him and tried to
push him off of her.