20 Chapter 20

In the company of a breathtaking sunrise, we woke the pet sitter and her charges. We paid her in the midst of warm effusions, wiggling tails, purring, barking, panting, and hugs, recovering Eros and Peridot. They were so relieved to see us they diplomatically ignored one another and continued to respectively purr and pant happily in the small cockpit of my car.

I dropped Benedetta and her beast off and waited until she reached her door. What an adorable sight: my lithe friend in her olive green sundress and her dog, sleek and sinewy, at her side.

On a whim I called after her, "Bene-what's your favorite fairy tale?"

She spun around and yelled back, "Fairy tale or myth?"

"Fairy tale!"

"The Ugly Duckling!" she yelled back.

A smile stretched across my face as I drove the short distance to my place. The sun slowly spread its arms and reached out to weaken the grip of darkness. Alone at last, I wondered about what Gabe had sent me and sped up.

*

There is no place like home. Peridot agreed with me at once. I dropped him inside and closed the front door with a kick. I set my bag down and followed him into the kitchen. He sniffed at his food bowl, made a disgusted face, and sang protest right by it, giving me a look which I translated accurately: You wouldn't dare do anything else until after you've dumped this old crap and refilled my bowl with something that better be worth my having spent a few days at whatchamacallit pet-sitter purgatory. Thank you very much.

I set aside my own priorities and microwaved a bowl of cream for him, just enough to take the chill out of it. He didn't even blink; he just dismissed me with a tail flick and sank his nose into the freshly warmed cream.

I leaned against my kitchen counter in silence, lost in thought. I stared at Peridot lapping at his bowl without really seeing him. I felt tired after the long drive and the many adventures and went over to collapse on the couch, falling asleep almost immediately.

I awoke after an hour or so of napping, still a bit bleary but with a feeling nagging at me about the recent culinary experience. I wanted to get the feel of Savannah into words while they were freshly brewing in my mind and got up to make some coffee.

Sitting down with an espresso and a croissant, I worked through my notes, incorporating them into the basic outline for my article. I became so immersed in my writing, the hours slipped by before I finally took a break to unpack my bag and freshen up a bit.

After a quick shower, I laid down again for a while. I didn't even notice as a very satisfied Peridot curled up at my feet, and the gentle woop-woop of the ceiling fan lulled me into a dreamless sleep.

It must have been early evening when a buzzing noise pierced my slumber. What sort of suicidal idiot could be so stubbornly leaning against my doorbell? Groggily, I stumbled out of bed, not caring that I was in my pajamas. I cracked the front door open, rubbing my eyes, yawning shamelessly, wishing-with every bit of my heart, soul, inner child, and future lives' personas-this idiot to be felled by one of those fatal lighting strikes that randomly roam the Florida Panhandle beaches.

I smelled lavender. A second before I opened my sleep-cemented eyes, struggling to focus on the idiot, I smelled lavender.

"Hi, luv. You forgot this back home."

Omadonnasanta!

Gabe waved a sprig of lavender under my nose, and my stupor evaporated. I leaped at him, straddling his waist with my legs crossing behind his back, kissing every exposed bit of his skin I could reach.

"Wow! What a welcome!" he said, kissing me back, laughing through that lethal, crooked grin of his. "And who's this?" he asked, looking down behind me.

My eyes followed his gaze to land on my cat. Peridot stared up at us, an amused look on his face, his tail flicking to an invisible rhythm.

"Micio, get back inside," I ordered my cat, thinking that if I were he, I wouldn't listen to me either. I wasn't in any position to impose disciplinary rules at the moment, precariously hanging from Gabe's waist.

But who cares what my cat was thinking? I was dangling from the waist of my beloved. His strong hands cupped my thighs, holding me firmly against his solid body. I finished drowning him in kisses and now inhaled his delicious masculine scent. My limbic brain reacted swiftly to his pheromones, sending one single, solid pulse through my feminine channels. Reaching deep down it lit a flame, melting me from the inside out. Liquid need, pulled like a high tide, glazed my eyes. I lowered my eyelids to whisper against his mouth, "I want you so bad it hurts."

His sharp intake of breath, followed by a smooth, stealthy move, brought us inside. With a kick, he shut the door and landed us on the sofa. I closed my eyes and plunged into the kiss. His indecently sexy lips devoured me with a hunger that matched and incited my own.

Oh, the pleasure! To taste him again was overwhelming.

I couldn't believe it. I kept running my hands all over him, making sure he wasn't some sort of conjured manifestation of my frustrated need. "Gabe, amore mio, you're for real?" I said softly, dreamily.

"Yeah, luv, real-," he answered. His voice, a beckoning caress thickened by yearning, his hands quick against my shorts, pulled and tugged, tearing the thin material away from my hips. I kicked my legs free and hurried to pull his shirt up from his jeans and above his head. I felt material rip and his fresh breath on my exposed nipples a second before I screamed his name out loud as he took my breasts in his hands and captured the aroused tips with his mouth. My hands caressed his neck and crawled up his hair-thick, luscious silk beneath my fingertips. I yanked hard when his mouth sucked along that thin line between pleasure and pain, weaving me in and out. I felt every shade in between; from one extreme edge of pleasure to the opposite, red tips dipping in ache, matches waiting to be stroked, latent fire waiting to ignite.

"I missed you so bloody much," I heard him say through the dense cloud of pleasure fogging up my senses. I blinked and found myself drowning in his deep blue eyes, liquid pools of ever-shifting, stormy waters.

"I missed you too, Gabe," I said as I lowered my hands to unfasten his belt. "I want you inside me." I lifted my hips and quickly unbuttoned his jeans. I saw him grin, pleased with my feral urgency. His arms swept me up and the world spun upside-down for an instant. He stood, turned, and laid me back on the couch. I settled against the pillows and watched him, holding my breath. He kicked his shoes off and got rid of both his jeans and boxer shorts in one single move.

Dear gods, thank you for creating such a masterpiece. He lowered himself onto the sofa and pulled my legs around his waist. With a sinful light twinkling wickedly beneath his dark lashes, he held my gaze.

"This is how real I am," he whispered. I felt him enter, slow and hard, working his way deep within me, radiating pleasure pulses so intense I couldn't help but moan his name as I raised my back and pulled him down to me. I kissed him deeply. My hips pounded against his in a hot, passionate rage that involved all senses. Swept away in the blissful moment, I was barely aware of my surroundings. His eyes, locked into mine, showed me how much he needed me. His arms wrapped around my body held me, shifting me ever so slightly to intensify the already unbearable pleasure. He slowed his pace, withdrawing almost completely, coming to a full stop.

"Oh, you're not going to do that to me again." I remembered how his teasing drove me crazy the last time. I managed to pull myself up against his chest without losing our intimate connection and pushed his body with my entire weight. It carried us both up until he sat upright and I straddled him. I relaxed, lowering myself down his hardness, holding him tight, in total control of every move. Or so I thought. I felt his hands on my hips guiding me, sliding himself slowly in and out, building up my level of pleasure as the rhythm became a crescendo of thick bliss. It ignited every cell of my body, filled it to its rim, and pushed it overboard to peaks of shuddering climax that spilled in a cascade of throbbing spasms, vibrating against the limits of my human form. And I realized that I wasn't alone in my rapture. Slowly, I opened my eyes and inhaled his bliss. I exhaled my own, allowing him to breathe me in.

*

With my head against his shoulder, his heartbeat reverberated in my own chest as it slowed with mine. Wrapping my arms around his neck as his hands rubbed my back, I allowed myself to return to this dimension. Our bodies, breathing in unison, rippled the fragile silence. My feelings began to shift from a tangible present to cherished memory; the flavors weakened with every swallow of fading aftertaste. I looked out the window to catch the day sneaking away.

I stirred in Gabe's arms and turned my face up to look at him. "I can't believe you're actually here with me." I kissed him lightly.

"Would you like me to show you all over again?" His tongue darted softly between my lips. I almost felt like biting but only smiled instead.

"How much time do we have?" With one day already ending I was afraid it would never be enough to show him how much I cared.

"A few days. I need to get back for the Australian Safari. I know this was kind of sudden, and I know you've got things to do. But I wondered if you could work around the fact that I'm here and maybe we'll be able to spend some time together."

A few days? Merda! Not enough, but better than nothing.

"I have a few assignments on deadlines, but I can work with you being here with me." I thought about it and smiled. "You could just be my Guinea pig and bear with me through all the food and wine I have to deal with."

"No worries, luv. I'm sure whatever you feed me will taste great." He didn't even bother to stifle a huge yawn. I slid away from him.

"You're tired." I stood and walked slowly toward the front door where he had abandoned his bag in the heat of the moment. I knelt and picked up what it took me only a second to recognize as the sprig of lavender I had unrolled from my napkin in the small restaurant by his shop where we'd had lunch.

"I can't believe you brought me this all the way from Australia." I walked back to him with both his bag and the lavender. "Thank you for remembering it."

"No worries," he mumbled a second before drifting into sleep.

I spent a few minutes watching him drift, breathing quietly so as not to disturb his descent into dream realm, still not quite believing my eyes.

My nostrils tingled, inhaling an ocean-scented essence streaked with the syrupy aroma of sex. My body ached pleasantly, still pulsing with the aftershocks of our lovemaking. My skin glowed magically in the same hue as his, telling me my eyes weren't mistaken. He was with me for real.

Making the least amount of noise possible on my bare feet, I walked to my bedroom where I found my journal tucked in the first drawer of my writing desk and opened it randomly. I laid the sprig of lavender between the crisp white pages, wondering for a second where I will be in my life when my pen finally touches those immaculate, blank pages. As I closed the drawer, I noticed my brochure from Umeracha folded with my airline itinerary and a small sealed envelope. I frowned, trying to remember where I had last seen it. Picking it up, I realized it was Madame Framboise's farewell note. I had forgotten all about it until now. With a fingernail, I ripped the envelope open.

My dear Porzia,

It has been a pleasure, even if short-lived, to finally meet you. I apologize for my absence at your departure, but I assure you, your grace and charm are things I will long treasure in my heart.

I wish you a warm and brilliant future. I wish you success and rewards in your career, personal gratifications, fulfillment, and an enchanted, unrestricted love, free of earthly boundaries and human expectations to fill your warm, loving heart. Never forget life is a mystical journey, 78 steps to transformation through the Minor to Major Arcana and ultimately, fulfillment.

Framboise

I read it, twice. I understood exactly what she meant. Her simple words shot straight to my heart, and I felt her sincerity from across the world reach a special place within me, where light hadn't shone in eons. I'm on my way, Madame Framboise ... I'm on my way, Joséphine ...

Peridot chose that moment to come by and sniff at the paper; he actually attempted to take a bite. Perhaps he smelled Madame Framboise's cat or perhaps he was just being his old nosey self. I folded and tucked the note in my journal next to the lavender. Casting a glance over my shoulder, on the couch in the living room Gabe was sound asleep. On tiptoes I walked into my living room, closed the sliding doors and pulled the curtains. Peridot had jumped on the sofa and was staring at the phone as if willing it to ring with all the strength of his mystical feline mind.

As usual, it only took a second or two.

I answered on the first ring. Evalena's voice greeted me cheerfully. Gabe didn't stir.

"Hi, hon! Did you have a good time?"

Hmm, does she mean in Savannah or just minutes ago? With Evalena, one never knew. I chose to answer about the trip.

"We had a blast, Evalena," I said, thinking particularly about Delilah's explosive potion. "How's everything with you?"

"All is well, thanks. I won't keep you long. I'm calling to see if you'd like to come over for dinner tomorrow."

She does not particularly like to talk on the phone. Her calls are always short and to the point.

"Well, Evalena, Gabe is here. He just arrived this afternoon, and if it's OK with you, I'd like to bring him along."

"That would be great. How about seven, then?" She didn't sound the least surprised.

"Sounds good to me. I'll bring the wine."

"OK, see you guys tomorrow."

"OK. Thanks, Evalena."

"You're welcome, hon. Bye."

We hung up and after checking to see if Peridot needed refills, I got some fresh water and walked back to the couch to snuggle in Gabe's arms. I kissed him lightly on his strong chin. My body still ached pleasantly, satisfied and coated in that afterglow only precious lovemaking exudes. What about a woman's body after climax? Before lovemaking with Gabe, did I ever take the time to stop and listen?

In the dim light I closed my eyes and summoned all my senses to savor my body's tingling energies. My skin smelled heavenly of warm spices carried along by sirocco wings moving across the parched sands of the North African deserts. My hair was a tangled darkness of fragrant, damp silk. The hollow of my throat, where my heartbeat purred like an expensive engine after a great ride up a winding mountainside, tingled and echoed where Gabe had bitten it. On my fingertips the intensity of his scent lingered like a shadowy prisoner. I wondered if men felt it as well. Are they able to understand-for one instant-to grasp the concept, to taste and feel the magic like we do?

Gabe stirred in his sleep, moving his arms to encircle my waist. He whispered something about me smelling good and went right back to sleep. I kept on munching on his chin for a while. I admired the sharp profile of his straight nose, the fullness of his sensuous lower lip, and the curve of the upper one, speckled by a day-old shadow. His mouth barely parted to reveal the whiteness of his teeth. I loved the thin laugh lines fanning at the corners of his eyes and the sharpness of his cheekbones, his eyes shadowed by long, dark lashes. Two thin lines extended across the smoothness of his forehead, interrupted by long rebellious strands of golden hair, longer now than when we met weeks earlier.

I remembered how the first time I saw him his thick, luscious hair had mesmerized me. I had yearned to run my hands through it, and now I was able to do so. From an unreachable horizon, he had transformed into the incredible love that filled my heart.

I gently woke him and suggested we go to bed. Holding my hand he followed me, half asleep, and just about collapsed onto my bed. I pulled the sheet over his body and stretched out next to him. With one last butterfly-wing kiss I settled into his arms, exhausted.

Dreams whispered, riding the warm night breeze. My curtains swelled against the pressure, trying to contain the questions brought on by Ether. It was a night when one could hear Peter Pan chase Tinker Bell around; a night when shadows broke free of their supporting roles to become prima donnas in dramas played silently on the stage of my unconscious.

Beaded with sweat, Gabe groaned in agony. Peridot cowered, a lonesome spectator of the frenzy, the madness, the mystical music, the beckoning of shadows. His ears flexed backwards as the keening sound rose from the camouflage of the chorus of cicadas and summer crickets, silencing nature. The howl coiled slowly at the foot of the bed, raising a shadow against the moonlit wall. It gained strength, piercing through the deafness of sleep to insinuate its echo in my waking mind.

As Gabe's scream died, I awakened in time to see a form withdraw hastily out the window. Distant drumming faded and finally ceased.

I sat up with a start, pressing the palms of my hands against the mattress' heat. I blinked sleep off while my mind questioned what had just transpired. Gabe settled back in his sleep like nothing had happened. I took a second to look at him. Finally, his face relaxed and my heart skipped a beat.

At the foot of the bed, Peridot purred and the curtains settled gently as the breeze withdrew. The chorus of insects resumed their serenade to the rising moon. I wondered if the lingering panic that drummed in my heart was just the echo of a nightmare I couldn't remember.

What now? Are we sharing nightmares? Overwhelmed by sleep, I did not pursue it. I leaned back into Gabe's arms. I banished the monsters as I drifted back into sleep, sure the rest of the night would be quite peaceful.

*

With the sun high up in the sky, all the fright and fears of the previous night seemed a distant mirage. Being in Gabe's embrace sure helped make things all right. I wished I could wake up in his arms for the rest of my life. I felt his body slowly stir from sleep; I readjusted myself against him and smiled.

"Morning," he mumbled against my neck.

"Hmm-"

"Do you always feel this good in the morning?" He nibbled at my earlobe.

"Yeeesh," I managed to respond as I stretched my limbs and arched my back like a lazy cat. I purred in contentment.

Thump!

"Meow!" Peridot complained loudly. The real cat had just fallen off the bed. I must have hit his sleepy body curled at the foot of the bed when I stretched my feet, pushing him off the edge. I swear I didn't do it on purpose.

"Ow! That must have hurt," Gabe said. He raised his head to see where Peridot had landed. His strong back emerged solid against the fluid blue sheets. I felt an irresistible urge to reach over and touch him.

He tensed against my fingers as they trailed along his scars. He turned to stare at me, wide-awake. His eyes clouded over, filling with something like despair.

"I'm sorry I'm not flawless. Those scars are a part of me, and there's no bloody turning back," he stated defiantly.

"Why are you so defensive about it?"

Gabe exhaled his frustration. His shoulders collapsed back on the pillows. "I didn't mean to sound so harsh." He blinked, looked up at me, shoving his clouds back inside, and closed his eyes. "It's something I can't really talk about."

I could feel a palpable turmoil behind his shut eyelids. "You can't talk about it because it's painful to remember or because you promised not to talk about it?" I asked softly, frowning.

He opened his troubled eyes, betraying, exposing the intensity of his distress. Yet he managed to raise a hand to caress my cheek. "Both."

Am I supposed to just let it slide? Wait until he's ready to explain? Why does it matter so much?

I can put two and two together, and I knew he had gotten those scars in the near-fatal accident that put a stop to his racing career and kept him from starting over. I could only begin to imagine how painful it all must have been. Not only the physical aspect of it, but he had given up what he loved to do most in this life.

He hadn't been given a choice. Fate had chosen for him. That was probably the hardest part of it all. For someone as headstrong as Gabe, it must chafe to bow to fate and admit defeat. Still, I had the feeling this wasn't over. I shook my head. I had no idea how to deal with it. Evalena would have been much better at it.

"Never mind, Gabe." I rubbed my cheek against the palm of his hand. "No matter how many scars you have, I still love you with all my heart."

Oddio! Did I just tell him I loved him?

"Fair dinkum?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"You're in love with me, Porzia?"

I looked straight into his crinkling eyes as he broke into a huge grin. "Come here and let me show you how much I love you, Mr. Miller," I whispered. I smiled softly as I lowered my mouth to meet his lips.

He pulled me closer to him. His fingers wrapped around my hair, tugging. A second before losing myself against the softness of his mouth, his eyes captured mine and allowed me a glimpse of his infinite blue. I tasted his breath against my mouth as he whispered, "I love you too, Porzia."

I closed my eyes and literally collapsed against the strength of his chest, feeling his love wash over me and merge with mine. Our mouths joined in a slow, passionate dance; our first kiss to seal our love. How many had we shared until that moment? How many yet to come? Each kiss had been different in taste, but all were essential stitches quilting the mantle of our growing love.

*

"Meow?" Peridot, his fall forgotten, leaped back onto the bed and butted his way in between us. He purred loudly as he kneaded his huge paws in the small space between Gabe's chest and my waist.

"I think your cat loves me too," Gabe said, smiling against my lips.

"Then we know you're not going to want to go anywhere, with both of us head-over-heels for you." I lifted my head up and smiled at him.

"Is food part of the deal?" he asked.

"Of course it is. I only have a little time to spoil you, and I'm going to make the most of it." I cast him a sultry glance. "Would you like help in the shower scrubbing your back or would you rather I started coffee?" I teased him, jumping out of bed to grab my robe.

"Tough choice but I guess it's going to be coffee since you're already getting dressed."

In the kitchen, the radio chirped something about another gorgeous summer day in heavenly Florida and don't forget sunscreen. The first notes of Shania Twain's latest hit reached my ears. We had a light breakfast; I didn't have much in my fridge to play with after having spent the past few days traveling.

While Gabe touched base back home on his laptop, I took a quick shower and then put on a sundress. My damp hair trailed refreshingly against my back. I pirouetted and curtsied in front of the full-length mirror, excited and ready to enjoy the rest of the day with him.

We drove down to the coast, passing Gulf Breeze and the Sound, to the sandy white shores of Pensacola Beach, where we spent the morning walking lazily hand in hand. Emerald water lapped shyly at our feet. Seagulls swirled above us, and a gentle breeze tousled my hair. We kissed, laughed, and joked, teasing one another with the salty water, splashing as we chased each other to breathlessness. I pointed out dolphins jumping out of the water in the distance and, closer to shore, the shadow of a huge manta ray gliding like a dignified mother superior in the penumbra of a convent.

We stopped for lunch at a small bistro with a terrace overlooking the water. We ate grilled amberjack sandwiches, homemade coleslaw, and refreshing lime sorbet and talked the entire time about everything new couples talk about: our hopes and dreams, our families and friends. It was too early to talk of our future, but our pasts were presents enough for the day.

To open up came naturally. He stared at me with rapt attention as I shared the experience of my trip to Georgia with Benedetta and then burst into laughter when I mentioned the fiery agua and Bene's summon of magic to bail us out of trouble. His mood shifted as he listened to my description of the intense feelings unleashed by Jason's guitar and Bene's whistling. I told him a little about Evalena; without going into much detail I could see that she intrigued him.

We made our way back to my place for a short nap before we headed out to dinner. Away from the water, the day hung limp with humidity; the air heaved thick and nearly liquid. My hair clung to my neck, still impossibly damp as we reached my front door and stepped inside. We closed the windows and turned on the air conditioning for respite from the oppressive heat. It was the kind of suffocating heat that builds before a storm.

On the answering machine, Oscar's voice from Gusto welcomed me back home after my Georgia adventures. If he only knew ... He wanted to know if I could fax him Delilah's article before the end of the week, as they were expecting Jason's photos to be ready by then as well.

Benedetta had also called, and I dialed her number while Gabe stretched on the bed and pulled his shirt above his head.

I kicked my sandals off and sat on the bed waiting for Bene to pick up. No answer. No machine. She's probably at work, I thought and hung up. The room was finally beginning to cool off. I reached for the fan to switch it to low and gasped when Gabe grabbed my waist and pulled me down on the bed against his chest.

"This is a really nice dress you're wearing. You've been teasing me in it all day long." He tugged at my dress straps. "What's even nicer is what's beneath the dress." He slowly unfastened the few buttons on my back and sneaked a warm hand onto the bare skin of my waist.

"I thought you wanted to take a nap," I said, turning to face him. I kissed his chin.

"That's roight, but where does it say we can't have a nap in the nik?"

"Nowhere." I reached down to unzip his jeans shorts.

"The problem is I don't think you'll be able to sleep if I'm lying naked next to you."

"You think I'd be the only one having a problem?"

"No, but I can handle it. The question is, can you?" His voice trailed off as he adjusted himself against the pillows and was soon drifting off into sleep.

I struggled to find a way to sneak into his dreams. I finally gave up and settled into his arms. This is how it should always be, I thought as a sharp pang of panic reminded my heart it was only for a few days. I decided to just ride the wave until it crashed to shore. To live the present is to live a gift. I drifted into a soothing sleep. Gabe breathed quietly right next to me.