The Haunting (Immortals) (33 page)

“I think about how lonely my life would have been if I’d never found you.”

“That would not have happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“Spirit mates are destined to find each other. When you were ready to be found, your spirit called me to you.”

“I’m glad it was you,” she told him.

“Me, too.” He kissed her and when he pulled away, it was to slip the straps of her wedding dress from her shoulders. As the gown slid down her body, he trailed kisses along her throat, running his fingers through the silken strands of her hair. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “And I’m so lucky.”

“I’m the lucky one,” she told him, running her hands up his chest and along his shoulders, pushing his jacket off as she did.

She’d worn nothing under her gown and now stood before him naked with the silk pooling around her feet. She saw the way his gaze heated when he looked at her and her pulse quickened in anticipation. She made fast work of the buttons on his shirt and then reached for the waistband of his slacks. The intensity of her hunger made her hands shake. She’d made love to him before, both in and out of her dreams, but it never seemed to be enough.

The hungry look in his eyes told her that his need was as great as her own. Before she could suggest they move to the bed, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her there. Soon they were lying side by side, Nick’s warm body cradling hers.

Her entire body tingled with unabated desire. “Let’s not ever leave,” he whispered between kisses. “In fact, let’s spend the entire day tomorrow in this room, in this bed, making love. When we get hungry, we’ll order room service.”

“Mmmmm, I like that idea,” she said softly. And then she remembered why they couldn’t do that. “Damn.”

He stopped kissing her. “What?”

“I completely forgot. I sort of made an appointment to talk to someone tomorrow.”

“You’re working? Mai. It’s our honeymoon. Can’t you get out of it?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s really important—and it’s not work.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’m going to talk to your mom—and your brothers.”

He pulled back and it felt as if he’d put an ocean between them. “What?”

“Yeah.” She spoke slowly, trying to gauge his reaction to her words. “I invited them to the wedding, but we agreed that after the wedding might be a better time to reconcile.”

“Why would you do that?” His tone was sharp, blaming.

She’d thought she was doing the right thing, but maybe she’d been wrong. She hurried to explain before the entire wedding night was ruined. “You told me that your parents were spirit mates. Being one myself, I didn’t understand how your mother could walk out on your father—or how your father could let your mother go. I thought there might be more to the story than what you’d been told. Plus, I wanted her to know the kind of man her son had turned out to be. She would be so proud of you.” She waited for him to say something, but the silence got to be too much. “Nick, I’ll cancel my appointment if you want me to, but I was hoping that you might want to go with me and see your mother and brothers again. They want to see you.”

It seemed a long time before he slowly nodded. “All right. I’ll go with you to see my mother and hear what she has to say. After that—we’ll see. That’s all I can promise.”

“Thank you.” She dragged him down for a lengthy kiss. “I love you,” she told him when they came up for air.

She ran her hand down his stomach, intending to stroke and fondle him until the temptation to take her proved too much. For the first time in a very long while, she felt like a wood nymph, wanting to make love all night long. She moved her hand past his stomach, her goal almost in hand when he pulled her hand away.

“I can’t do this,” he said suddenly, throwing back the covers and climbing out of bed.

He was angry with her for contacting his mother. She shouldn’t have interfered—but she’d only wanted to make things better. “Nick, I—”

“I’m sorry, Mai. I tried to ignore it, but I can’t. It’s driving me crazy.”

“I’m sorry, Nick.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not your fault,” he told her,
pulling on his pants. He didn’t bother putting on his shirt but walked across the room and grabbed the large mirror by its frame and lifted it from the wall. Going over to the door, he opened it and carried the mirror out into the hallway. Then he came back, locking the door behind him.

He quickly undressed and climbed back into the bed. “What?” he asked when he caught her staring at him.

“You were talking about the mirror?”

“Of course. Tell me you don’t feel better with it gone.” He shook his head. “I hope you’re not going to mind that we don’t have mirrors in our house for a few…years.” He turned onto his side, raised himself onto one elbow and trailed a finger along the ridge of her collarbone, down along the length of her breast and around her nipple until it rose to a stiff peak. “Now—where were we? Oh yeah.” He lifted himself on top of her and settled between her legs.

A long while later, they lay exhausted from a long day and replete from making love, not once, but twice. Mai snuggled against Nick, her head on his chest. She couldn’t remember ever being this happy before in her life. “Nick?” she whispered in case he was asleep.

“Yeah, baby?” His voice was a husky whisper.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He tightened the arm around her, giving her a gentle squeeze. His hold on her remained secure even though his breathing slowed as sleep stole over him.

Mai was content to listen. Being with him like this was so much better than the dream, she thought, as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

“What took you so long?” Nick’s voice floated to her as he entered her dream and took her by the hand. Suddenly they were standing on a tropical beach with crystal-blue waters gently washing ashore. The sun was setting over the horizon, giving the sky a warm glow. Ahead of them, a
large bed, draped in white sheets, stood waiting for them. Nick smiled down at her as he led her to the bed.

A short while later, Mai rode the crest of the most powerful climax of the evening. When it slowly ebbed away, she couldn’t help but smile. The reality might be better than the dream, but the dream was definitely not bad.