Love Everlastin' Book 3 (24 page)

Her hands continued to glide
onto his outer thighs, her palms and fingers causing electrical
sensations to burst along his sensitized nerve endings. He realized
he was standing too taut, too inflexible, but he felt as if he
would shatter or somehow burst apart the illusion that this was
actually happening to him.

Again he gulped past the
tightness in his throat when she lowered herself to her knees. She
urged him to step out of the garments first with his right foot,
then the left. At this point, he expected her to stand and fall
back into his arms. Instead, her hands caressed the back of his
thighs, she nestled her face against the black curls of his pubic
hair, her cheek and hair brushing against the side of his erection.
For a horrifying moment he thought she would take him into her
mouth and, although he'd fantasized about it, he knew he would lose
all control. But she didn't. Her hands cupping his rounded
buttocks, she seemed deliriously content to brush her brow and
cheek against the soft skin of his abdomen. It was maddeningly
thrilling, hardening him until he thought he would burst, but he
managed to hold tight to his control, although he trembled with the
effort.

When he was sure he couldn't
take much more, he rasped, "Deliah," like a man being tortured. He
scooped her up into his arms and swung her onto what appeared to be
a bed of white rose petals. Lowering himself atop her and
positioning himself between the porcelain whiteness of her parted
thighs, he hungrily kissed her. Warm, bright sunlight bathed his
nakedness. He was barely conscious of her arms circling his neck.
Of her urging him to enter her warmth. His outer and internal
senses gloried beyond anything he had ever experienced. He was free
of every emotional shackle. Free of mere human
boundaries.

"I love ye," she whispered,
her breathing labored, her fingers flexing in his hair. "I love ye
so, I ache from wi’in the core o' ma existence, and tis an ache I
honor above all else."

Winston's senses soared
higher and higher. He kissed her eyelids, the tip of her nose, her
chin then luxuriously explored the graceful lines of her throat.
The tip of his tongue grazed her collarbones then swept between her
breasts. She groaned again, longer and with such passion, he
quivered in anticipation of pleasuring her beyond anything she'd
ever experienced. He sought first her left nipple, his lips and
tongue paying homage to the rigid peak, then the right, where he
suckled in sweet, lingering bliss, one hand kneading the firm
mound. She arched against him, relaying her readiness, but he
wanted to relish every moment, climb the vast mountain of pleasures
with her before they triumphed atop the apex in absolute
gratification.

His hands roamed and
explored her body. Twice, something disturbing tried to surface
through the layers of his passion. Twice he ignored the warning
from his subconscious. Instead, he looked into the vivid blue pools
of her eyes and found himself gratefully drowning within the love
she radiated. She was all he ever needed to fill his life, to
fulfill the emotional emptiness he'd harbored for as long as he
could remember.

His mouth sought her parted
lips as he slowly entered her. Her breath filled his mouth and he
kissed her more hungrily as he moved deeper inside her. An
instinctual cadence gripped them. Thrust upon thrust, stroke after
stroke, they carried each other into the heavens, where sensation
became something so precious and yet so easily given, they became
lost within its power.

For the first time in his
life, Winston didn't need to rely on an outsider's influx of
borrowed sensations to experience all the pleasure she awarded him.
And he realized he was just as capable of giving her pleasure. He
was conscious of perspiration coating their bodies, and how their
slick skin enhanced their joining. The salty scent and taste of her
was ambrosia. He was aware of their muscles straining to take them
higher and higher, to fly them ever higher on an instinctual
current of need to reach full gratification. They were a pair of
perfect white doves, soaring toward a radiance of harmony and love
so sublime, he could no more hope to analyze it than he could
analyze the components of a miracle.

As one, their arms wrapped
about each other, their bodies poetry in motion, they reached the
pinnacle. Ecstasy filled the radiance now as shudder after shudder
coursed through them. Their descent back to earth was deliciously
gradual, like two united feathers loosed in the heavens and lazily
making their way to the ground.

They clung to each other for
a long time after, basking in the afterglow of residual sensations.
But when the heat from their bodies began to cool to the chill in
the room, Winston reluctantly rolled onto his side and drew Deliah
against him, spooning the back length of her.

Exhausted, neither
spoke.

Winston became wryly amused
when he realized they were in his bedroom and not in the garden
realm. They were atop the bed, exposed to the drafts. He noticed
Deliah was dozing off. Gently easing his arm from beneath her, he
rolled over and reached down for the quilt she'd dropped to the
floor. He pulled it over them, wormed his left arm beneath her
again, and smiled with sheer contentment when she snuggled close.
Within seconds, they were both fast asleep.

* * *

Beth had just placed her
sleeping daughter next to her son in the antique crib when Laura
entered the nursery. Turning, Beth met the woman's tear-filled gaze
and felt her own eyes misting. She walked to where Laura stood just
inside the threshold. Folding her arms beneath her milk-laden
breasts, she heaved a hitching sigh.

"Aggie told you?" she asked
Laura, who nodded.

Laura's chin quivered as she
struggled to hold back the extent of her despondency. "I don't want
her to leave, Beth."

"Neither do I." A tear
escaped down Beth's pale cheek. "How's Roan taking it?"

"Not too good.
He-umm...well, he was cranky before Aggie's
announcement."

"Because of—"

"No, Beth. His mood has
nothing to do with your return." Laura released a watery sigh. "I
think he's peeved because I've spent so much time here in the
nursery."

Beth glanced back at the
crib and smiled wanly, then searched Laura's gaunt features.
"You've been a godsend, but you are neglecting him."

"I know, but it's hard to
resist spending time with the babies. I'll make it up to
Roan."

Beth was about to say
something when Laura broke down in silent tears. Without
hesitation, Beth drew her into her arms. "As much as we want Aggie
to stay, we have to think about her happiness."

"I know," Laura
sobbed.

Beth drew back and wiped
away Laura's tears with her thumbs. "Do the boys know?"

Laura nodded. "They're in
Kahl's room and refuse to talk to me or Roan. They're angry with
Aggie. You know how Kevin can be. He was pretty harsh with
her."

Beth glanced back at the
crib then looked at Laura. "I'll try to talk to them,
okay?"

"It might help. Has-um,
Lachlan been to see you yet?"

"No, and I'm getting beyond
hurt and angry."

A tremulous grin broke
through Laura's sorrow. "Men."

"Why don't you spend some
time with Aggie and Roan. The babies will sleep for a couple of
hours, and I'll see if I can get through to the boys."

"I'll bring you up some
lunch in a little while."

"Actually, I think I'll
bring the babies downstairs. I'm getting stir crazy up
here."

A genuine smile graced
Laura's face. "Beth, I'm so glad you're back. We never had the time
to really get to be friends. It's nice having a female my age
around."

"If you see
Lachlan...."

"I'll talk to him," Laura
assured.

"I was going to suggest you
give him a kick in the bahookie," Beth said wryly.

"That could be arranged."
Laura turned and left the room.

Beth checked on the babies
before heading down the hall to Kahl's room. She knocked on the
door and didn't wait for a response before entering the room. The
brothers were sitting on the large bed. Three pairs of eyes
solemnly watched her approach. Kevin’s gaze possessed an edge of
resentment at her intrusion, but she ignored it.

Sitting at the foot of the
bed, she sadly regarded them, then stated, "Change is seldom
pleasant, but we have to respect Aggie's wishes."

"Why?" Kahl asked bitterly.
"Why should we care what she wants? She's always saying she loves
us, but she wants to go now."

"Everybody leaves us," Kevin
said, a quaver in his tone.

"Beth and Lannie came back,"
said Alby softly, his somber blue eyes brimming with tears. He
flung himself into Beth's open arms and buried his face in her
shoulder.

Beth lovingly smoothed a
hand over the back of his head.

"We all love you," she
choked, her gaze searching each boy's face. "Don't ever think that
will change. But sometimes we can't help what happens...what
changes come into our lives. We just have to make the most of what
we have."

"This a pep talk?" Kevin
asked sarcastically.

Alby scowled at his brother.
"Leave her alone."

"Shut up, twerp."

"Enough," Beth chided the
oldest brother, and he sulkily lowered his gaze to his crossed
legs.

"You got your own brats to
worry about," said Kahl softly. "Don't worry about us. We're used
to taking care of ourselves."

Beth allowed a moment to
pass in silence, then, "The twins are fortunate to have you
three."

Alby looked up into Beth's
face. "Yeah?"

"Of course," Beth chuckled,
and kissed him on the brow. "In a way, you'll be their cousins.
Their big cousins, and I know they're going to rely on all three of
you to teach them all the things kids need to know."

"Like what?" Kevin asked
suspiciously.

"Well, like how to play
safely. How to rely on one another when the adults seem too busy to
pay attention." She lovingly smiled at them collectively. "I don't
think I've ever told you boys how much I admire your courage and
your street smarts."

She was pleased to see the
boys' moods were perking up. "Last Christmas was a scary time, but
you were all so brave. You've proven you can accept change and roll
with the punches. Better than most. Boys, I couldn't be prouder of
you. I couldn't—" Her voice cracked and her eyes teared. "—love you
more if you were my own children."

Suddenly, Beth was besieged
with hugs. When finally the boys sat back on the bed, Alby joining
his brothers, wet cheeks were brusquely dried with
hands.

"Aunt Beth?"

"What Kevin?"

"Is Aggie really leaving
'cause we've been bad so much?"

Beth released a chortle.
"No, hon. Whatever gave you that idea?"

He shrugged. "'Cause we have
been bad, sometimes. We make her spend her energy too
fast."

"Aggie adores you three. She
stayed this long because of you."

"Then why is she leaving?"
Alby sobbed.

"She didn't tell
you?"

All three shook their heads,
then Kevin shamefacedly said, "She tried to explain, but I wouldn't
let her. I didn't mean to be so mean to her."

"I'm sure she understands,"
Beth assured. "She's leaving because she misses her
son."

"Bogus Borgie?" Kahl
grimaced.

"Be nice," Beth chided, but
a grin slipped past her control. "Okay, so he wasn't a nice man,
but he was Aggie's son and she loves him. I think she imagines him
alone in Heaven, and that saddens her. She knows you have all of
us, but Borgie only has her. And it's not fair that she feel sad
all the time, is it?"

"No," Kevin sighed. "She
should be happy."

"Yeah," Kahl agreed, and
Alby nodded.

"So, don't you think, boys,
we should be spending these last few hours with her? Making her
feel good about her decision? We don't want her to leave feeling
guilty about us, do we?"

"No," all three said in
unison. Then Kevin said, "She could come back when she wants. Like
you and Lannie."

"No, hon. Aggie won't be
back."

"Why not?" asked Kahl.
"Won't the Heaven highway let her?"

Beth laughed out loud then
sobered. "No, I'm afraid she's leaving for good. Her place is with
her son."

"Okay," murmured Kevin. "But
maybe she won't want to see us again. I was really
mean."

"Aggie loves you. I'm sure
she's hoping—"

"Aye," said a voice from the
doorway. All eyes turned to see Roan standing there. He wore a
broad grin. Only Beth could see the sorrow hidden behind it. "Aunt
Aggie was just sayin’ she wished we could have a party. A proper
sendoff wi' the whole family."

He graciously bowed his head
to Beth. "And extended family, as weel. So, ma fine lads, care to
join me in the kitchen for some serious bakin’?"