Things will be heating up between our lovebirds (even if they haven't admitted it yet), so hold on to your hearts.
Thanks for the wonderful reviews, keep 'em coming!
THE DAWN THROUGH THE NIGHT
Book V: Making You Mine
CHAPTER 22
Erik awoke early and climbed off the bed undetected. Christine was curled up on her side, nuzzling against his non-existent body. She was the picture of perfection in his eyes. Her hair was tousled and she had a slight bit of drool running out of her mouth and down her cheek; its presence made Erik chuckle.
There was no woman who moved him like Christine. Everything about her gripped his soul. He quietly left the room and went down stairs.
He walked out onto the wrap around portico. It surrounded the entire house and it was something Erik liked very much. He had never spent much time outside; only a few minutes here and there on top of the opera house or walking the night streets of whatever city he was in.
Since Grace had come into his life, he found the sun tended to remove some of the dreaded darkness in his soul and he loved how it felt on his skin.
He scanned the landscape; noticing some downed branches and debris that had been disbursed by last nights storm.
Last night; what memories came rushing through him as thought about it. Erik didn't know what to make of Christine's ardent attention. She had been petrified, no doubt; but she had willingly allowed him into her arms and even made him feel as though she wanted him there.
He pulled his arms over his head and stretched his spine, feeling the tingle it caused. Sam was coming up the walk; he had just come from town.
"Good morning, Master Erik." He greeted with enthusiasm.
Erik nodded and responded with, "Sam."
"Master Erik, allow me to put up my purchases and then would you do me the honor of taking a walk with me?" Sam suggested.
Erik cast Sam a puzzled look, but agreed with a nod.
OOOOOOOOOOOO
Erik and Sam walked the property, examining the fencing and the grounds. Sam pointed out some areas that were in need to repair and asked what Erik was planning to do with the back of the property; he had been clearing it and making room for something.
"I want to build a house for my mother and Brigitte, so they will be closer to Grace and Jean Luc." Erik pointed out, "My mother has had some serious health risks in the past; I just want her close."
Sam showed his agreement and they continued to walk for a few more feet before he asked, "What are you going to do, Master Erik?" When Erik looked at him he asked, "About Madam Christine?"
"I'm going to do the best I can to make her happy." Erik replied.
Sam stopped and looked up in to the face of the man he had grown to love as a son, "Last night you admitted that you were frustrated and stated three options you had to choose from."
Erik nodded, remembering the conversation.
Sam looked him deep in the eyes, "Why don't you exercise your husbandly rights?"
Erik shook his head violently, "No, her ex-husband made her participate every night, and she said it sickened her…" Erik gulped, "…I can only imagine what horrors she would experience with the deed being done by a less then attractive man who has no idea what he's doing."
Sam frowned at that knowledge; he wondered, had her own husband raped her? That thought revolted him.
"She cares for you, Master; I see it in her eyes every time she looks at you." Sam assured him.
Erik sighed, exasperatingly, "Caring for me and being in love with me…are two different things."
Sam examined Erik through narrowed, intelligent eyes, "Do you love her?"
Erik stopped abruptly and turned toward Sam, "With all that I am."
Sam squared his shoulders and stood his 5 foot, 10 inch frame as tall as it would go. "Then I suggest that you do something about it."
Erik looked more confused than he had ever been, "How?"
"Take her on a honeymoon; you two never had any time to get to know each other after you married." Sam suggested. He leaned into Erik and winked, "You may find that she is as frustrated as you are."
The rest of the walk was taken in stride, with only a lighthearted conversation. Erik promised Sam that he would asked Christine, but he would not be surprised if she declined.
"She won't decline." Sam stated with affirmation.
"I wish I had your confidence." Erik muttered.
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
Later that evening, the sun was setting in the horizon and Erik was watching the canvas of the sky as vivid, indescribable colors painted its surface.
He had gotten back from the build site not too long ago. He had gone there to tell Charles that he was taking some time away. He was, after all, the boss; so he decided he would do as he pleased.
"I'm going to spend some, much needed, time with my daughter and son; and then, I do believe I am going to take my lovely wife on the honeymoon she should have had a few months ago."
Charles more than agreed with him, and assured him that the schedule would be kept and the project would finish on time.
"Tell Christine I say 'hello'." Charles said as Erik walked to his carriage.
Erik waved and rode home.
Now, he sat; hoping that the opportune time would present itself. He couldn't stand the tension, so he arose from the his seat and walked back into the house. He made his way to the music room and felt the usual passion within his soul that music always managed to evoke from him.
The piano beckoned him like a decadent seductress, forbidding him to resist her charms. He caressed the glistening black surface of the piano with his long, expert fingers, and glided onto the bench.
He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, allowing the melodies in his head to talk to him. He heard his favorites calling to him and he placed his fingers on the keys and surrendered.
Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", Chopin's "Raindrop Prelude", Handel's "Largo" were just a few of the songs he played, bringing the room alive with his proficient abilities.
Christine had heard the first piano tone, and had immediately made her way toward the heavenly sound.
Erik was not aware of her warm body standing directly behind him, until there was a pause in the music and her felt her behind him.
"Christine." He moaned
She said nothing; she didn't have to. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in towards his ear, raking her tongue sensuously across its sensitive curve; the words she sang sent shivers of ecstasy up Erik's spine…
"You have come
here
In pursuit of your deepest urge
In pursuit of that wish
which till now
Has been silent …
Silent."
She ran her hands over the silky material of his shirt, fluttering over the taunt surface of his abdomen, and began unbuttoning it with fluid motions. His eyes were closed as she mesmerized him with the sensual lyrics he had intended for her…
"I have brought you
That our
passions may fuse and merge
In your mind you've already succumbed
to me, dropped all defenses
Completely succumbed to me.
Now
you are here with me…
No second thoughts …
You've decided…
Decided."
She marveled in the beauty of his features as he completely yielded to her seductive taunts. She penetrated the barrier of his shirt and removed it from him, leaving his upper body exposed to her hungry eyes.
She caressed his sculptured chest with her warm, searching hands; brushing them seductively over the hardened male nipples. His sharp intake of breath, almost made Christine lose her concentration.
As she continued, she grazed her tongue along the sensitive flesh of his shoulders and neck.
"Past the point of no return
No backward
glances
Our games of make-believe are at an end.
"Past
all thought of "if" or "when"
No use resisting
Abandon
thought and let the dream descend"
Christine moved to stand in front of him and sat down in his lap. She turned to straddle his hips and immediately became aware of his straining erection. She pushed up against it with her body, and marveled at the deep, intense green his eyes had become as they shot open and focused on her.
"What raging FIRE shall flood the soul
What rich desire
unlocks its door
What sweet seduction lies before us?
"Past
the point of no return
The final threshold
What warm unspoken
secrets
Will we learn
beyond the point of no return?"
She paused; her lips a hairs breadth away from his. She practically whispered the next phrase, as her lips entranced him…
"You have brought
me
To that moment when words run dry
To that moment when
speech disappears
Into silence…
Silence."
Christine nuzzled Erik's neck and as she sang the next stanza. She moved down his neck and worshiped his chest with her hands and lips; skirting over his heated, sensitized flesh. The words he had written making them both delirious for fulfillment.
"I have come here,
Hardly knowing the reason why
In my mind I've already
imagined
Our bodies entwining
Defenseless and silent,
Now
I am here with you
No second thoughts
I've decided
Decided.
"Past the point of no return
No
going back now
Our passion-play has now at last begun.
"Past
all thought of right or wrong
One final question
How long
should we two wait before we're one?"
Erik was oblivious to anything around him except her succulent mouth on this hungry skin. His soft moans made the lyrics that much more profound and erotic. She was driving him to the brink of insanity with her seductive tactics and his own lusty words.
"When will the
blood begin to race
The sleeping bud burst into bloom
When
will the flames at last CONSUME us?
"Past the point of no
return
The final threshold
The bridge is crossed
So stand
and watch it burn
We've passed the point of no return."
When the last line was on her lips, she moved to his mouth and claimed it. Her hands encompassed his face as she drank of him.
He reacted to her intensely, diving into her sweet, hot mouth with his strong, skilled tongue. She meant every thrust and dive with a thrust and dive of her own. The sounds of their kisses were making both of them lose control.
Erik, not mindful of what he was doing, roamed his hands over her thighs; pulling the skirt of her lightweight gown up her legs until he touched the soft flesh hidden beneath. He devoured her mouth, moved his hands over the swell of her backside, and squeezed the flesh until she moaned even louder.
His hands on her and the intoxicating kisses he was giving her, made Christine completely breathless with desire.
Erik felt her hand reach down and cup his bulging erection and he bolted upright. He quieted her hand with his and captured her eyes.
"Christine…darling…how can you tease me so and yet despise the very act this is leading to?" He asked, with passion in his words.
Christine's smoldering eyes looked with confusion into his. She had forgotten the words she had spoken all those months ago…no wonder Erik stopped short of consummating this marriage…he thought she was sickened by the idea of making love to him.
She smiled and brought her hand from his erection to his face, caressing his marred cheek, "I despised it with Raoul…he sickened me." she leaned in and placed kisses along his cheek and neck. "He never cared about my needs."
She smiled wickedly, ran her tongue along the ridge of his ear, and sucked his lobe into her mouth, shooting another bolt of excitement through Erik, eliciting a moan. His voice was raspy and low, filled with unrelenting desire; and his eyes were a molten shade of green.
"I don't know where this is leading, but I have a question to ask you." He purred.
Christine pulled slightly away from him to stare into his inimitable eyes, "What would that be?" She asked with a raised brow.
"Would you like to have a honeymoon in Greece?" He inquired; a slight smile playing about his sexy mouth.
Christine's face lit up and she threw herself at him, hugging his neck with strength he did not know she possessed. Her high-pitched squeal alerted the house and Nancy came running, thinking someone was hurt.
What she saw made her heart leap for joy. Her master, the man whose life had been one torturous moment after another, was beaming from ear to ear, and the woman he loved with every beat of his heart, was planting kisses all over his face.
TBC
