Burning for You (Blackwater) (13 page)

“What’s wrong?” he asks me, looking
flushed.  I can tell he’s breathing as hard as I am.

“Nothing,” I say.  My lips curl
into a smile.  “I’ve wanted you to do that for a while.  Now that it’s out of
the way, you can introduce me to your mother or something.”

He looks amused.  “My mother? 
You’re kidding.”

I shake my head.  “No, I’m not.  I
figured we could release a bit of the tension in the air first, though.” 

He approaches me and I shrink back
against the wall, hot yet just slightly terrified from the look he’s giving
me.  His dark hair tumbles over his brow and his black eyes glitter
tempestuously.  “You must be mistaken,” he purrs pressing his hips against
mine, letting me feel how hard he is.  “Nothing has been released.  Yet.”

“Not yet,” I whisper.  “Please.” 
Something in my voice lets Ash know I mean what I say, and he nods, ducking
down to press his forehead against mine.  His hands come up to cup my face and
he tilts my head to the side to brush his lips against my neck.  His touch
ignites me, making my skin burn. 

“Okay,” he says.  “But don’t make
me wait too long.  I’m not sure how much I can control myself with you.  When I
lose control, Leah, things happen.”

“I know,” I say, thinking of the
chandelier and Michael.  “Come,” I say, linking my arm through his.  “Let’s
grab a drink and dance with me.  Pretend you want to spend time with me
publically or something.”

“I want to spend every moment with
you, Miss Holt,” he says, smiling.  “First, one more kiss?” he asks me.  I nod,
and he slams me against the wall, knocking the wind out of me for a moment, but
breathing the life back into me by plunging his tongue back into my mouth and
pulling my leg up around his waist.  His hand slides up from my thigh and cups
my ass under his palm, his fingertips grazing just under my panty line.  I feel
a surge of wetness between my legs where his hardness is pressed against me. 

“Oh god,” I moan when we break
away.  “We’ll never make it.”

Ash laughs and gives my thigh a
quick squeeze and steps back from me.  I pull my dress down and adjust my
stocking and garters as well as I can without a mirror.  Then I return to his
side.  We walk down the hallway a bit, back toward the noise.  Immediately we
are accosted with drinks and more hors d’oeurves, which I heartily shove into
my mouth.  I think I might need the nourishment for later, considering the way
Ash is holding me possessively against him.

As all clichés go, the band slows
down to play a soft song.  Ash pulls me tightly against him and sways along
with me to the music.  I sigh and lean into him, letting his tall body support
my own.  Then I start to laugh.  “What’s so funny?” he asks me.

“Maybe it’s the wine talking,” I
say, tilting my head back to look up at him.  “But I feel like I’m in love with
you.”  We are silent as the words resonate between us, both of us realizing the
impact and severity.  “I don’t even know anything about you.”

“My favorite color is red,” he says,
looking down at me with that tumble of hair in his eyes.  “I’m a Leo and I hate
long walks on the beach because I don’t like sand in my shoes.”

“I’m a Leo too,” I say.  “And you
could take your shoes off, you know.”

“Maybe I don’t want to?” he
suggests, making me smile.  “What do you want to know?  Ask me anything.”

“Anything?”  I echo.  Ash nods. 
“Okay, how old are you?”

“Twenty-six,” he replies. 

“Damn, younger than me?  That won’t
do.”

“Is there a rule that says I have
to be older than you?” he asks me.  “I don’t recall that one.”

I shake my head.  “No, I guess
not.  Men do age more gracefully than women do.”

He shrugs.  “I’ll buy you plastic
surgery for our anniversary.”

“Aw, that’s sweet,” I reply, both
flattered and frightened by the way he’s talking as though he knows we’ll grow
old together.  Neither one of us has the insight of a water elemental to make
that call, but as catalysts, we can probably assume as much.  He swings us
around and theatrically dips me in his arms.  I laugh, actually enjoying myself
for the first time in years.  Michael and I never connected like this.  I never
believed in love at first sight, or fate, or anything remotely sentimental or
romantic.  I figured people were compatible if they both had jobs and could pay
their share of the rent.  I’m finding out how wrong I was.  “So what do you
do?”

“Do?” Ash says, looking confused. 
“What do you mean?”

“I mean do you work?” I ask.  “Do
you have a job?”

Ash grins.  “No, of course not. 
I’m the young, rich playboy who just runs around doing whatever he wants.”

I step back, aghast.  “You’re
kidding.”

He shrugs.  “Sort of.”  He steps
forward to grab and pull me close again.  “I help to manage the vineyards, but
it’s not exactly a full time job.”

“I see.” 

“Why does that seem to bother you?”
he asks me.  I guess I’m not hiding my feelings too well.

“I-I’m not sure,” I say, honestly. 
“I’ve always had to work.  Even in high school, my parents always made me get a
job if I wanted spending money.  Not like they couldn’t afford to just give it
to me, but they refused it.  Nothing was ever handed to me.  When I left
Blackwater, at least I knew what work meant, which helped me…” I trail off,
realizing that my work ethic and upbringing had everything to do with my
parents not wanting me to stay in Blackwater.  It’s all too clear now. 

Ash puts his finger under my chin
and tilts my head up to look at me.  “You’re going to meet my mother tonight,
and I want you to understand something about her.  I’m her last child, her
baby, and she will let you know it.  Some people would say I’m the favorite,
and I know I am.  That sounds conceited, and it is.  I’m a very conceited
person.”

I snort, rolling my eyes.  “Yeah,
I’m getting that impression.”

“Hey,” he says, “I’m not lazy or an
asshole.  I’m sorry if you got that impression.  I need to prove that much to
you, I can tell.”

“You don’t need to prove anything,”
I tell him, leaning against him.  “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” he says.  “So what else
do you want to know?”

“What have you told Erika about
me?” I ask.  “Is she here tonight?”

“She’s here somewhere, I’m sure,”
he replies.  “As for what I’ve told her about you, she knows what you are to me. 
What could I possibly need to tell her?”

“Your catalyst,” I say softly. 
“Does Erika have a catalyst?”

Ash shrugs.  “Supposedly everyone
does.  She hasn’t found hers, though.  Neither had I, which made us a good
couple while it lasted.”

I pull back.  “I feel like I’ve
intruded on something, but I don’t want to think of you and anyone as a couple
when you’re with me.”

“Aren’t you the one that’s
married?” he asks suddenly.  The horror hits me that I’m the one who’s been
playing with fire this whole time.  I whirl away from him and start to storm
off, feeling tears burning in my eyes.  He catches up with me quickly, though,
and pulls me back toward him by wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Let go of me!” I say, causing the
people around us to back away and leave space. 

He pulls me against him, hard,
practically knocking the wind out of me.  My back is pressed against his chest
and I can feel his heart pounding against my back.  “Leah, stop it.  You can’t
expect me to be sorry about anything I did before I found you, just like I
don’t expect you to be sorry for marrying someone else before you knew me. 
We’re both flawed.  We’re both at fault.  Can we just accept that and move
on?”  I sigh against his chest and nod, feeling the tears run down my cheeks. 
He’s absolutely right.  He wipes my face with his hands and I feel his lips
against the back of my head.  “We don’t live in the past, Leah.  We live for
now.  Let me enjoy now with you.”  His hands move down my shoulders and squeeze
my wrists gently.  I cross my arms over my stomach, enjoying the protective
feel of his own arms over mine.  I nod and sink against him, wondering why I’m
so emotional tonight with Ash.  It must be the wine.  “Hey, are you okay?” he
asks me.

“I’m fine,” I say, turning around
to face him.  I show him a smile to prove it.  “Feed me something, though.  I
think I’m getting drunk.”

He smiles and stops a passing
waiter and lifts the entire tray out of his hands, placing it between us. 
“Eat,” he commands, and I do.  I shove one small pastry after another in my
mouth until there is nothing left.  “You’ll want to be sober with me tonight. 
No passing out on me.”

“No,” I agree.  I feel so much
better it’s ridiculous.  “So introduce me to your mother now.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.  Why are you so
reluctant?”

“I’m not reluctant,” he says, but I
don’t believe him.  “Follow me.  She’s over there.”  He hands the tray to
another passing waiter, who slips the empty tray under another one full of
fresh hors d'oeuvres. 

I can’t believe I didn’t notice her
before, I think as Ash leads me up to his mother.  Lisette Lavanne stands to
the side of the crowd in the ballroom, a flute of champagne in her left hand. 
She is talking to a pretty blonde woman who looks to be a few years older than
me wearing a gauzy purple genie costume.  Lisette doesn’t appear to look as
though she’s wearing a costume, but I’m guessing she doesn’t often wear French
renaissance ball gowns that Marie Antoinette would have envied.  Her mask
matches the silver and teal of her gown perfectly, etched with aquamarines and
diamonds dripping down one side of her face.  Her black hair is swept up high
on the crown of her head and cascades down her neck in large ringlets.  Ash
approaches her with me at his side and takes her silver gloved hand in his own,
pressing her hand to his forehead.  “Maman,” he says, putting her arm down. 

“My Ash,” Lisette purrs.  She
strokes his cheek with the back of her hand lovingly, and Ash turns into her
touch slightly.  Then she turns to me.  “You are Leah Holt,” she says in a soft
yet commanding voice.  “Lisette Lavanne,” she says, offering her hand.  I place
it on my forehead respectfully.  “How lovely it is to have you here at Normandy.”

“Thank you,” I say.  “It’s a
wonderful party.”

“Leah, this is my sister-in-law,
Annalise,” Ash continues, introducing me to the blonde in the genie costume. 
She is very petite and about average height, with an amethest mask framing her
large brown eyes. 

“Nice to meet you Leah,” she says. 
“Welcome to Normandy.”  Something in her voice sounds ominous, or sarcastic, I
can’t tell which, but I choose to ignore it and smile.

“Leah, how is your mother?” Lisette
asks me.  “Well, I hope?”

“She’s alright,” I say, not wanting
to outright lie.  “I think it’s been hard on her since my dad left, and I’ve
only just been back to see how she’s coping.  Though it’s been almost fifteen
years.”  Why am I spilling everything to this woman I’ve only just met?  It’s
as though I can’t stop talking.  “She subsists entirely on frozen food and Diet
Coke.”

Annalise bursts in laughter, and
Lisette simply nods.  “Tell your mother I do miss her coming around.  I know
it’s been hard for her since Jared left, but she must not isolate herself from
her people.” 

I nod.  “I agree that leaving the
house more often would do my mother a lot of good.  I’ll let her know you asked
about her.” 

Lisette smiles and then turns to
Ash, fussing a bit with his black mask and pushing his hair out of his eyes
with a gloved hand.  She leans over to whisper something to Ash, making him
bend his height down to accommodate her.  He pulls back and looks at her and
nods.  Then he takes my arm.  “It was nice meeting you, Leah,” Lisette tells
me.

“Very nice meeting you,” I agree. 
“And you as well, Annalise,” I add.

Ash turns me away and walks with me,
heading away from his mother.  “What did your mother say to you?” I want to
know.

“She told me to leave the party now
before Erika causes a scene,” he mutters.  “I guess she is very, very drunk.”

I am silent as I ponder this. 
Lisette sensed a scene and saved me from it, to which I should be grateful, but
now Erika is back on my mind, something I’m not at all comfortable with. 
“Where is she?” I ask as we’re almost out of the ballroom.  “Where is Erika?”

“Looking for me?” I hear a voice
say behind me.  I whirl around and am face to face with Erika.  She is dressed
in a sequined yellow belly dancer costume, her lower face covered in gauzy gold
and her eyes hidden by a gold and ruby mask.  Still, it’s unmistakably her,
from her voice and her size and the way she fills out the half top.  “Of course
you shouldn’t be doing that.  You two would finally want to be alone, I’d
think.  Why waste your time with me?”

“Erika,” Ash says in a tone that
indicates he’s warning her.  She ignores him and continues.  I notice the man
standing with her is remarkably sexy.  He’s probably a foot taller than she is,
with close cropped and tightly curled hair and very chiseled facial features. 
His skin is a soft caramel, like hers which he is revealing practically all of
in his Indian chief costume with a feathered mask to match his elaborate
headdress.  I can’t resist lowering my eyes to his loincloth, which shows that
he is definitely packing a punch, so to speak.    

“Ash, don’t even start with me,”
she says.  “Your mother already cornered me and warned me not to talk to you,
and now you’ve started it.”

“Hey,” the man standing with her
says, putting his hands commandingly on her shoulders.  “Don’t do this, Rika.”

“Don’t Rika me, Zane,” she says
shoving his hands away.  “You’re ready to bail on me too, I know it.  Fuck
off.”  She whirls away and storms off, leaving Ash, Zane and me standing and
looking awkwardly bewildered.

“Sorry Ash,” Zane says.  “I don’t
know what’s gotten into her.”