Valentine's Wishes (8 page)

Her breath caught in her throat, and she arched upward to him, hovering on the edge of orgasm, while energy pooled around them both like molten gold.

“’Tis morning, my blossom, the wish is done and still I love yer,” he whispered and rolled her over above him. The thick velvet heat of his erection filled her in one smooth movement, and she was over the edge, riding a blissful March wind, while he groaned.

“Oh yes!”

She had only loved with one other fairy, and their modest midsummer bargain had been nothing like this.

Each of Cedar’s thrusts built her responses. Wave after wave of delight broke over her, and she cried out like a wastrel Banshee.

The morning broadened to day while they loved, and when his cries of pleasure echoed as loud as hers, the two of them shone brighter than the wintry sun casting its beams into the porch. She closed her eyes, lost to Cedar and their loving.

She lay back exhausted, and yet when he moved away, she longed to have him back. “Cedar, do yer really love me?” she murmured while her pulse slowed. The foolishness of the words caught her as soon as they were said, but it was too late to take them back.

“My flower, yer beautiful and I want yer as mine.” He tightened his embrace about her. “I love yer like I’ve loved no other. Will yer be mine, Poppy? Please, my wild fairy, say yes?”

A hot tide of joyful energy rushed through her, trembles ran from the tips of her toes to her head. She reached up and kissed him, losing her thoughts in his sparkling hazel eyes. “Yes,” she whispered when his lips left hers. “But Cedar,” she added.

“What?” He traced one fingertip over her cheek and caressed the corner of her mouth with his thumb.

“I’ve got to put right what I did last night.”

He nodded. “Aye, yer have indeed. Think what would be said by them back home if yer didn’t.” She hung her head as guilt flooded through her again, but he tilted her chin so she peered up to his smile. “Don’t yer fret, I give yer a hand. If last night’s wish is anything to go by, I think ye’ll need a bit of a hand, for by Pan’s twin horns, yer have no idea of control.”

“Thank ye,” she whispered and buried her cheek against his glowing skin.

“Aye, once yer’v shown me how thankful yer are, we’ll get dressed and go sort things out.” He cupped her chin in his palms and covered her mouth with his.

Her pleasured sighs echoed once more.

The birds screamed so loud Keri winced. Grimacing she lifted her head from the pillow. The thump of pain she had thought a part of her dream remained.

Lucy made the punch much too strong. There’s no other explanation
.

Her recollection of last night remained hazy and her mouth sandy dry. She dragged on her robe to go get a drink of juice.

Downstairs, a confetti scatter of CD’s, shrunken balloons, glasses, and empty drink cans greeted her. She stepped through a tangle of pink streamers.
We’ll have some cleaning up to do today. I hope the others are up to it because I don’t think I am.

In the kitchen, she poured a tall glass of orange juice and events from last night flashed through her mind as she gulped it down.
Oh my God.
The memory of kisses with Surjan flooded through her.
Bal’s possible future husband. And I spent the evening kissing and dancing with him while Bal sat watching.

No, hang on, that isn’t quite right.
Yes, the kisses and dances I remember, but Bal was engrossed with James, Lucy’s James. And Lucy, of course, as usual, made a bee-line for the most interesting man at the party. The guy I checked out who looked so good, and after only a brief conversation I thought sounded even better.

She put the empty juice glass on the counter.
If I thought Jez was so interesting, how come I ended up with Surjan? He’s nice enough but not my type. This is more than weird.
She filled the coffee machine to make the largest pot she could.
If the others wake feeling like me, they’re going to need coffee.

While the coffee pot steamed and burbled, she wondered again about the party.
What happened to all three of us last night? Maybe a real heart-to-heart with the Bal and Lucy is needed. We all made some big mistakes somewhere along the line.

“Is there any juice?” Bal asked with a hand to her forehead. Her normal golden glow was pale and dark shadows shaded beneath her eyes.

Keri poured a glassful and handed it over. She waited while Bal drank the whole glass down. “Bal, about last night—”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I’m glad I found out what kind of guy Surjan is.” Bal closed her eyes as though the subject was finished.

“Now, hang on a minute. I don’t think it was his fault. You were busy with James, so you can’t blame Surjan for dancing with me.”

“He did more than dance as I remember.” Bal accepted the cup of coffee Keri handed over. “I can’t wait to tell my mother.”

“I’m sorry,” Keri began and turned as Lucy arrived in the kitchen. Lucy stared, eyes narrowed at Bal.

“Did you have a good time with my date last night?”

“Yes,” Bal retorted and stomped through to the sitting room.

“Wait a minute, Lucy; you were busy with Jez weren’t you?” Keri tried to keep the edge out of her voice.
After all, I’ve no claim on Jez, mores the pity, I’d have liked the chance to get to know him and maybe stake a claim.
“I mean what did you think James might do? Sit and watch you dance with another guy all night?”

“I don’t know how it happened. One minute I was talking with James and the next I was dancing with Jez.” Lucy drank coffee and fumbled in the cupboard where they kept the few medicines. She swallowed two tablets. “My head is killing me,” she murmured.

“I know, you need to drink hydrating fluids. Come on, let’s go sit with Bal, and see if we can sort all this out. We’ve never had anything like this happen before in over three years, and it’s crazy to let this get out of hand.”

Keri closed the door to the hallway to shut out the sounds of the birds chirping with loud squeaks. The immediate silence in the sitting room eased her aching head. She sipped her coffee and studied both the friends she loved. “Right, I’ll go first if it makes any of this easier. Bal, I am sorry about last night. I had no intention of getting off with your guy, even if you decide today you didn’t want him anyway. It’s not my style to do such a thing and you know it. I haven’t arranged to see him again, and if he calls, I won’t arrange to see him again. I’ll tell him I made a mistake because of the wine.”

Bal blinked, the beautiful almond shaped eyes filled with tears. “Keri, I can’t blame you. I got kind of involved with James, and I don’t know how it happened. I don’t understand it. I only had one tiny glass of punch. I don’t know what happened.” Bal glanced over to Lucy who still frowned and pouted. “Luce, I’m sorry. I didn’t intend it to happen. I don’t like James in any kind of romantic way, he’s nice, but not the sort of man for me. Believe me?”

“Are you seeing him again?” Lucy asked.

“No, I didn’t arrange anything and I don’t even have his number to text him.” Bal sipped another mouthful of coffee.

“Right,” Lucy said and the frown eased a little.

“What about you with Jez?” Keri tried not to let her interest show.

Lucy shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know how we ended up together. We didn’t make any arrangements. He can’t dance you know.”

“Well, you spent long enough to find that out.”

“Keri, the man I want is James, I told you both so the other night. I like him so much. It’s not only his bank balance I’m interested in.” Lucy wiped a tear away. “And somehow the whole thing got trashed last night.”

Bal slid her arm around Lucy’s shoulders. “Don’t cry.”

“I can’t help it.” Lucy sniffed. “James is the man I want, the situation seemed perfect and now it’s all gone down the tube.” She wiped more tears away.

“No, it hasn’t. I’m certain we can sort this out.” Keri looked at each of the other girls. “Recriminations over and done, and once we’ve had some breakfast we’ll tidy up and then devote the rest of the day to working out how we can fix things.” She hugged both of them.

* * * *

By early afternoon the house was tidy, and her hangover had melted away. Keri sat with a pen and note pad. “Okay, what have you both come up with?” she called to Lucy and Bal who came in from emptying the dishwasher.

Bal sat on the carpet and Lucy curled up on the sofa. “I suggest we invite the three of them to dinner and talk it out,” Bal said.

Lucy shook her head. “No, darling, it would be impossible. James doesn’t know either of them, and I’m sure he’d be as embarrassed as I would.”

“I think Lucy is right. If we invite them all here together, it would be a bit like returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak.” She tapped her pen on the paper.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Bal murmured.

“Come on, think.”

“How about we throw another party?” Lucy said.

“No, I don’t think so. I think, Lucy, you should ring James and talk to him, and perhaps Bal could get in touch with Surjan.”

Bal’s eyes snapped wide at the suggestion. “But what would I say to him?”

“Tell him you want to meet with him,” Keri said.

“But I’m not sure I do.” Bal hung her head.

“Now that’s not how you were acting this morning,” Lucy commented. “It was all righteous indignation this morning.”

“Oh, all right, yes, I do want the chance to meet up with him again, if only to keep gran happy.”

Lucy arched an eyebrow at Bal’s bowed head, and Keri quelled the need to say “
Yes, I really think so.”

“Front door,” Lucy said as the door chimes rang. “I’ll go.”

“Wonder who it is on a Sunday?” Bal said.

* * * *

“Come on, Cedar, now’s our chance.” Poppy grabbed his hand as she watched the woman who waited by the front door with a large bouquet of deliciously scented yellow roses.

“I don’t like going inside too much, Poppy,” he murmured.

“But we’ve got to, so I can put all the trouble right.”

He smiled and bent his head to kiss her cheek. “Aye, my little disaster maker, I know it. But let’s be careful, hey?”

She nodded, and then spun around at the gasp from below.
Have we been seen? No
. The gasp came from Lucy who clasped the armful of offered flowers.

“For me?” Lucy asked the delivery woman.

The woman checked a green printed sheet on her clipboard. “Ms. Turner?”

“Yes.”

“Then these are for you, special delivery.”

“Thanks,” Lucy murmured and turned to go back into the house.

“Now! Quick before she shuts the door.” Poppy grabbed Cedar’s hand and they flew fast down under the door lintel and into the hall.

“Keri, Bal, you have to see these,” Lucy called.

“Oh, my goodness,” Bal exclaimed.

“Here, behind the sofa,” Poppy said, and dragged Cedar behind her into the gap between the wall and the sofa. “Listen.”

“Wow, now that’s a real ‘I’m sorry,’ bunch of flowers.” Keri murmured. “Who are they from?”

Lucy fumbled with the card. “They’re for me, from James.” She sniffed and batted her lashes after she’d stared long and hard at the note. “He says ‘I missed you last night.’”

“Fine,” Bal said shaking her head. “He spends all evening talking to me about us going on the journey of a lifetime to the Himalayas, but it’s you he missed. Men!”

“I thought you said you didn’t want James anyway?” Lucy said, inhaling the fragrance from the flowers.

Bal slumped down on the sofa. “I don’t, but I think it’s a bit lowlife he sends you flowers, and I don’t even get an apology.”

“Oh, for goodness sake, Bal, this is exactly what we wanted to happen,” Keri snapped.

Tears stung Poppy’s eyes, and she buried her head against Cedar’s tunic with a gulp.

“Don’t fret, my bud. ’Twill all come right, I swear by the moon’s bright beams.” Cedar’s reassuring whisper only added to her gloom.

“Lucy, you go ring James and say a nice thank you for the flowers and take it from there,” Keri said.

“Yes, I will.” Lucy went into the kitchen with the flowers and her phone.

“Right, let me work on this one,” Cedar whispered.

“Please fix it for them,” Poppy murmured back.

“Aye, ’twill be easy this.” He kissed the tip of her nose before he crept into the kitchen.

She peeked round the sofa at Keri.
Why doesn’t one of them simply say I wish?

“Now, with any luck at all, Lucy and James will have a fabulous make-up date and all will be well,” Keri said with a grin.

“What about us?” Bal sounded tearful.

Guilt wracked through Poppy as she listened.
This is all my fault.

“Ring your mother, get his number and call him,” Keri said.

Bal shook her head. “But how on earth can I explain what happened to my mom? I daren’t say we all had too much punch, she’d think we’d gone nuts. Worse, she’d think I have an alcohol problem. Mom doesn’t touch alcohol, never has and to her a glass of punch would be a big thing.”

Keri patted Bal’s arm. “You don’t have to tell her about the punch, say you wrote his number on a bit of paper and it got lost, or the number didn’t hold in your phone’s memory.”

“But what will I say to him?”

“Bal, you’re being silly, I bet he’d like to hear from you. Call him and ask what he thought of last night, see where it gets you.”

“Oh, all right. I’ll go upstairs and phone mom for his number. She’ll be pleased at least if she thinks I’m going to talk to him today.” Her shoulders drooping, Bal headed to the stairs.

No, not upstairs, down here, you silly girl
. Fury raced through Poppy. She had no way to go upstairs with Bal undetected and she could do nothing to help the girl.

Keri sighed and slumped down on the sofa. “And me, well, I’ll just sit here and think on what might have been.”

The sadness in those words stilled Poppy’s breath.
I’ve messed things up so badly.
A tear slid down her face and another followed. When Cedar crept back to where she stood, the tears fell fast. “Oh, Cedar, I’m so sorry about the wish,” she sobbed. He stroked over her hair offering a gentle kind of comfort of sorts.