Caressa's Knees (31 page)

For Kyle.

Later, he took the cello from her and passed it back. He took her hand and led her away from the smiling crowds to his childhood home, to his bedroom. The fan above the bed made its own whirring music as they undressed and lay down together on the narrow mattress. She reached out for him, shaky and shivery with bliss.

“Play me now, Kyle,” she whispered, covering his face with feather-soft sweet kisses.

“Yes,” he said. His fingers trailed up her stomach to her breasts, tracing invisible strings. “Any song you want.”

They started with a lilting ballad, and progressed to a fiery appassionato. After a rest, they created a sweeping waltz, and some time later, a noisy hornpipe.

When the sun came up they were still playing. They had so many songs to play together, and a lifetime to do it.
Accarezzévole
.
Sweeps and scales of shimmering, harmonious notes.

THE END

* * * * *

A Final Note

I owe a great debt of thanks to musical artists in the creation of this story. I first heard
Stephin
Merritt’s song
100,000 Fireflies
in 1992 when a band called
Superchunk
covered it. I later heard The Magnetic Field’s original 1991 version and liked it even better. It contains a particular lyric I love: “I’m afraid of the dark without you close to me.” That line—and the image of all those fireflies—blinked in my mind for almost two decades before resulting in this book. Perhaps you will give Merritt’s song a listen.

Spur, Texas is a real town—with beautiful sunsets, I’m told—and Burger’s Pond, while fictional, was named for Donald Ray Burger, a Houston attorney who spearheaded a project to bring fireflies back to Texas. At his site you can read people’s reports of firefly “sightings” all over the United States dating from the early nineties up until the time of this writing. Jacqueline du
Pré
, the cellist Caressa admires, was also real person, and her cello recordings and videos are worth a listen too.

Finally, if you have not read my book
Comfort Object
, I hope you will. It’s a prequel to
Caressa’s
Knees
, and tells Jeremy and Nell’s mythic love story. Many thanks to
Miri
, the fan of
Comfort Object
who convinced me that Kyle needed his own story. Without her prompting, I’m sure this story would never have been written. Thanks also to Audrey, my tireless editor, who’s been with me from the start of this adventure.

I end this book with a wish: that all desperate people, no matter their place or situation, eventually find respite from their storms, whatever they may be.

* * * * *

Look for this title in a paperback edition on Amazon.com, Createspace.com, and other bookselling outlets starting in February of 2011.

About the Author

Annabel Joseph writes emotionally intense stories about the romance of dominance and submission. You can learn more about her books, read reviews, and find contact information at http://annabeljoseph.wordpress.com.

Other erotic romance by Annabel Joseph

Mercy

Cait
and the Devil

Comfort Object

Firebird

Deep in the Woods

Fortune

Erotica by Annabel Joseph

Club
Mephisto

Coming soon:

Lily Mine

Owning Wednesday

The Edge of the Earth