Essence of Desire (26 page)

“Any honeymoon plans?”

“We’re spending the night at this quaint little bed-and-breakfast on the Gulf that Trevor’s sister Gina told me about. Then we’re coming back to take Austin to Disney World for a few days. And later, after our trip to the Super Bowl, Trask and I will make plans for a much longer honeymoon. We’re thinking about going to Hawaii.”

Syneda could see all the love shining on Felicia’s face and in her eyes. “I’m glad everything worked out for the three of you.”

Felicia laughed. “I’m glad, too.”

***

Trask and Felicia decided to tell Austin about their wedding plans when they put him to bed that night. They knew they had made the right decision after listening to him modify his prayers to say:

“Thank you, God, for letting Santa bring me a daddy to love me. It was my best holiday ever, and I’m going to remember it as long as I live. And when my Daddy leaves me after New Year’s Day, I’m going to be a big boy and try not to cry. Just don’t let him forget me because I’ll never forget him. And I will never stop loving him as my daddy. Amen.”

After Austin had finished, the impact of his words seemed to hang in the room for a second. Felicia’s gaze met Trask’s and she saw him swallow tightly. He then reached down, and with big strong hands, he pulled Austin up from off his knees and into his arms. He held him tight as he gently rubbed Austin’s mop of curly hair.

For the longest time Trask didn’t say anything. He tried to swallow the lump that he lodged in his throat, but couldn’t. All he could do was hold the child he considered his own and give thanks for the miracle that brought him into his life. He cocked his head one side and looked at Felicia. Tears misted her eyes and he understood. It was time to tell their son that they would be a family and that he was not going to go away on New Year’s Day. It was time to let Austin know that he would be his forever daddy.

Taking a deep breath he set Austin down on the bed between him and Felicia. He looked down into the child’s face, which looked so much like the woman he loved. “Austin, how would you like to be my son forever?”

Austin’s gaze flew from Trask to his mother, then back to Trask. “That means you won’t leave me on New Year’s Day?” he asked in a hopeful voice.

“Yes, that means I won’t leave you on New Years Day. Your mom and I are getting married New Year’s Day. The three of us will live here for a while; then we’ll build a bigger house with a bigger yard sometime later. It also means you’ll get a new name. How does Austin Gardner Maxwell sound?”

Austin smiled. “Good! Will Mommy get a new name, too?”

Trask chuckled. “Most definitely.”

Austin nodded happily. “She’s had other names before.”

Trask looked at Felicia and his smile widened. Instinctively his hand reached over for hers. “Yes, I know, but Maxwell will be the last name she’ll ever have.”

Austin nodded with a wide grin on his face. “And you’ll be my forever daddy?”

“Only if you want me to.”

Austin threw his arms around Trask and exclaimed excitedly, “I do! I do! I love you, Daddy.”

Once again Trask held his son tight in his arms. “And I love you, son.” He squeezed Felicia’s hand. “And I love your Mom, too.” Leaning over with Austin still in his arms, he kissed his future wife. “We’re going to be a family.”

“Yes,” Felicia agreed, feeling Trask’s warm lips brush against hers. “We’ll be a family.”

New Year’s Day

Felicia decided not to have any bridesmaids. Instead, she thought it would be more fitting in her situation to have bridesmen. And she couldn’t think of anybody more perfect than her uncles. Since Uncle Milton, being her oldest uncle, was the one to give her away, her other five uncles stood as brides men.

Clayton, Alex, and Austin stood beside Trask as his best men. In a way, her uncles stood in as Trask’s best men as well. Just as Trask had always said, the six Madaris brothers had always been there for him, and today was no exception.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride,” the minister said smiling.

“At least the child had the good sense to save the best for last. And Trask is the best. He has to be to want to take her on.” Felicia felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment with her grandmother’s outburst.

Trask tossed back his head and laughed. “No, I’m the one who got the best. A wife and a son—what more can a man ask for?”

“Peace,” Lee Madaris hollered out.

“Everlasting love,” Trask’s mother, Jolene Maxwell Thomas, piped in.

Trask caught Felicia up in his arms and swung her around. “What Felicia and I have is truly everlasting.”

“What about peace?” Lee Madaris hollered out once again.

Trask lips found Felicia’s and he kissed her long and hard.

“By golly you got your answer, Lee. I think they have found peace at last,” Nolan Madaris exclaimed, laughing.

Trask and Felicia were too busy kissing to stop and agree with him.

To my readers, who after reading
BARE ESSENTIALS
from the
LIVING LARGE
anthology, wanted Michelle Kincaid and Royce Parker’s story. This one is for you.

The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
Proverbs 16:23 KJV

The woman was going to drive him to drinking, Royce Parker thought, as Michelle Kincaid captured his attention. She had also captured the attention of every other man in the room. He watched as she moved among the party-goers under the pretense of mingling when he knew what she was really doing was targeting her next victim.

That wouldn’t be hard for her to achieve since he would have to admit she was a beautiful woman and tonight, wearing a short black skirt that showed off her gorgeous pair of legs, and a blue pullover knit top that emphasized just what a nice pair of breasts she possessed, she looked doubly so. But her stunning looks and perfect petite body weren’t all that made her so striking. There was also that mass of dark brown hair that flowed about her shoulders and cast a sensuous glow to her creamy dark skin.

He was partly convinced she was a witch. A beautiful, hot and sexy witch, whose goal in life was to cast a spell on a man, bring him to his knees and then proceed to tear his heart from his chest. He of all people should know since she had targeted him two years ago, and what had followed, in a darkened hotel room on the night of her sister’s wedding, was the most incredible night of his life.

She had brought him to his knees but in a very delectable way. And he could only smile at the memory of the enticements she had used to do so. Even now he couldn’t get the taste of her, the sweetest dark chocolate he’d ever had the pleasure of savoring, out of his mind. However, it hadn’t been total surrender since he had survived the night with his heart intact. Not happy she hadn’t accomplished her goal she had avoided him like the plague since then.

At that moment she glanced over at him and his pulse rate suddenly increased. Their gazes, to each other, were assessing with slow deliberate intent and he knew, was fairly certain, that the same memories that were flowing through his mind were also drifting through hers. And he could tell by the narrowing of her eyes that she didn’t like it. His smile indicated that he did.

He could also tell his smile disturbed her. She pressed her lips together in a firm line and tossing her hair with a haughty air she broke eye contact with him. His smile widened at the thought that he’d hit a nerve.

“Will you stop staring at Michelle like you want to ring her neck,” a deep voice drawled close to his ear.

Royce took a sip of his drink before glancing over at his best friend, Jordan Prescott. “That would be hard to do since I do want to ring her neck,” he almost growled. He and Jordan had been friends for as far back as high school while living in London, Ohio. Last year they had left the prestigious Orlando law firm of Smith, Hammond and Rowe to start their own law practice, and after a year of hard work trying to build their clientele, they were no longer in the red.

Two years ago Jordan had married Judge Dominique Kincaid and six months ago Jordan and Dominique became the proud parents of an adorable baby boy they named Sawyer.

“It’s hard to believe she and Dominique are sisters,” Royce went on to say. “They are as different as day and night.” A cold chuckle then escaped from his lips. “Even Auburn had the good sense to stay away from her.”

Jordan couldn’t help but smile as he gazed over at his brother who was standing across the room with a beautiful woman by his side. “That’s why he brings a woman with him every time he comes to town for a visit? He picked up on Michelle’s interest the first time they met and decided to stay out of her way. And that in itself says a lot for a man who’s just as much a womanizer as you are.”

Royce couldn’t help but laugh at that. He’d known that at one time Auburn had been Michelle’s main interest, but Auburn had figured out quickly that Michelle wasn’t manageable and had deliberately kept his distance. So with Auburn no longer a viable conquest at the wedding, Michelle had turned her attention to him. It hadn’t bothered Royce that he’d been the number two choice, especially after she’d confessed to not having sex for almost eight months.

Even in the bedroom she tried being unmanageable and he still wasn’t quite sure who had come out the victor. The one thing he did know was that one night with her had had a lasting affect on him, one he just couldn’t shake. The woman was still deeply embedded into his system, whether he wanted her there or not.

For almost two years she had tried her best to avoid him. At first he could have cared less, since he’d moved on to manageable women. But lately, more so than ever, thoughts of her kept popping up in his head. Thoughts that brought memories right along with them and they were memories he could very well do without.

“How is Dominique enjoying her birthday party?” Royce asked Jordan as a way of changing the subject. He didn’t want to dwell on Michelle any longer.

“She’s having a blast. It’s not everyday I can pull something over on my wife. I appreciate you telling that little white lie for me, man. Otherwise, she would have caught on to what I was doing and the surprise would have been ruined.”

Royce chuckled. “Glad I could help.” His gaze then returned to Michelle. She had approached Richard Stillwell, a local doctor in town and a recent divorcé. Royce frowned when he felt a tinge of something odd in his chest, a feeling that definitely wasn’t supposed to be there.

“And why is she talking to him?” he muttered behind his glass as he took another sip of his drink.

Jordan heard his words and followed his gaze across the room and said, “Probably because he’s single and she’s single.”

“The man is divorced.”

Jordan looked at him strangely. “Yes, and the last time I checked that meant the same thing as being single.”

Royce rolled his eyes. “That’s real funny.”

Jordan laughed. “No, what’s real funny is the fact that you’re beginning to scare me. Our law firm is doing great financially, and you’ve worked hard over the past year to make sure of that. You’re due some time off to enjoy yourself. Why don’t you take a vacation and go somewhere.”

Royce met his gaze. “Go where?”

“That’s for you to decide. And from the way you’re keeping an eye on Michelle, I’d like to make a suggestion.”

“What?” Royce asked.

“Take her with you.”

***

Michelle let out a deep breath when she got a chance to escape through the French doors to the patio, needing a moment to be alone. It was a beautiful Saturday night in May with numerous stars sparkling overhead in the sky.

She took a sip of her wine while thinking that if one more man tried hitting on her tonight she would scream. It wasn’t as if she was the only single woman at the party. Was she wearing some sort of banner on her forehead that read available? It couldn’t be that many horny men in this world.

She rolled her eyes and figured there probably was. Any other time when they flirted she would have flirted back, but that was before she had begun her therapy of inner improvement after finally acknowledging the fact that her primary issue with herself was her need to be dominant.

She had known she’d had a domineering complex for years and figured eventually with the right man she would grow out of it. She had dated Marcus exclusively for two years and he’d been perfect with just the right level of submissiveness she’d desired. He hadn’t minded letting her lead while he followed, even in the bedroom. But then his interfering mother moved to town and in no time at all, the woman proved just what a mama’s boy Marcus was. And the one thing Michelle knew she could and would not tolerate was a third person interfering in a relationship with her man.

Since both of them couldn’t be number one, she had given Marcus an ultimatum, his mother or her. He’d said her
feelings of insecurity
were ludicrous and indicated he would give her time to come to her senses. That had been nearly three years ago.