The Magic in her Gift (8 page)

Startled, Sara looked around
and caught her breath. The moon shone brightly across the sand,
highlighting the spot where two lovers came together in her last
dream. Warm ocean air blew softly across her body, making her aware
of her lack of clothing. Embarrassed, she turned to go back to the
house and stopped when she heard the sound of her name.

“
Sarafina,
wait!”

She turned and saw Meloir
walking toward her, a determined look on his face. Her hands
quickly moved to shield her breasts and pubic hair from his eyes.
“Go away,” she cried.

Meloir continue advancing
until his body brushed against her hands. Silently, he grabbed her
wrists and lowered her arms. “Don’t hide yourself, Sarafina. You’re
beautiful to me.” His head lowered, his lips brushing
hers.

Sara pushed against his
chest until he released her from his kiss. “This isn’t real,” she
whispered.

“
It’s as real as you want
it to be, love. You’re my Heart Mate and we belong together. You
only have to use the magic to make both our dreams come true. We
could bond forever, but you have to hurry. We’re running out of
time. You have to send for me to make it real.”

She tried to pull away. “I
don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have any magic and
none of this is real. You’re just a dream.” She began to openly
sob.

“
Shhh, love, it’s going to
be all right.” Pulling her close to his warmth, he pressed his lips
against her hair. “I want you, Sarafina. I want you to be mine
forever, to share my world and my life with me. Send for me,
please. I will make you happy, I promise.”

Sara cried out when he swept
her off her feet and laid her on the warm sand. Before she could
form a protest, he latched onto one of her nipples. A guttural
groan escaped her lips when his teeth closed over her sensitive
flesh, nipping sharply. Before she could voice any objections, his
tongue soothed the burning sting. Trembling, she felt his fingers
searching between her legs, her hips pushing toward the pressure
when he found her clit and pinched. His head raised and he stared
deep into her eyes while he teased her pussy.

“
The magic is in you,
Sarafina. It’s in your gift. You just have to find it, love. Send
for me so we can be together.”

He scooted down her body
until she felt his breath against her damp core.

“
Come for me, Sarafina,
come for me now.”

Meloir’s lips closed on her
clit and she exploded, rainbows of colors dancing before her
eyes.

“
Meloir,” Sara screamed,
waking up in her darkened bedroom. She took a shaky breath. “A
dream, only a dream,” she whispered. Her legs unsteady, she got up
and walked into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror briefly and
then washed her face in cold water. “Maybe I should take another
shower,” she snorted. “Maybe a cold one.”

“
Miss Sara, are you
upstairs?”

Sighing, she walked to the door and
opened it a crack. “Yeah, I’m here, Elias. I’ll be down in a few
minutes.”

“
Okay, I’m going to make a
fresh pot of coffee.”

Twenty minutes later, Sara
walked into the kitchen in time to see Elias pouring himself a cup
of the fragrant brew. “I’ve never understood how something that
smells so good can taste so bad.” She cleared her throat. “Did you
have any trouble getting the
Three
Stooges
back to dry land?”

Elias choked on a laugh,
spraying his sip of coffee on the counter in front of him.
“
Three Stooges
?
Not sure that’s a comparison I would’ve made.”

“
Please, give me a break.
Don’t tell me you weren’t thoroughly entertained by all the drama
unfolding in the house over the last twenty-four hours.” She threw
him a grin over her shoulder as she pulled a soft drink from the
fridge. “My mother should be nominated for an Academy Award for her
performance alone.”

“
Uh, I’m not sure what you
mean, Miss Sara.”

Sara narrowed her eyes as she drank
deeply from the cold can. “Come on, Elias. Did you buy the whole
pity party my mother tried to throw?”

He took another drink of his coffee.
“You’re awfully cynical, to be so young.”

“
Not cynical, realistic. My
mother only made this trip to hear the terms of Grandmother’s will.
She fully expected to inherit everything of any value.” She gave a
small snort. “Believe me, when I get back home I’m gonna have to
listen to her moan and bitch for months, maybe longer.”

“
But you said the
three stooges.”

“
Yeah, Bart and Clinton
puffing out their chests to each other was pretty funny. I don’t
think Clinton particularly cared for Bart questioning his every
word.”

Elias picked up a bag on the counter
and then motioned for her to have a seat at the table. After she
sat down, he placed the bag in front of her. “I thought we both
could use a little cheering up so I brought us a treat.”

Sara peered into the bag and laughed.
“You sure know the way to a woman’s saddened heart.” Smiling, she
held up a chocolate éclair and passed the bag to Elias. “Chocolate
has always been, and will always be, the universal cure for a bad
mood.” She sank her teeth into the rich chocolate and frowned as
she chewed. “You know, this is definitely not on the diet I’m
supposed to be on.”

“
Diet?” Elias snorted. “Is
that something you’re doing for yourself, or for someone
else?”

“
I, um, well. I really do
need to drop a few pounds.”

“
No, Sara, you don’t. You’re
a lovely, curvaceous woman and if I were a whole lot younger, you
wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Startled, Sara looked at the heat in
his eyes and swallowed hard. “You never said if you had any trouble
taking everyone back to civilization.”

He chuckled and picked up
one of the éclairs. “I didn’t have a bit of trouble. Unfortunately,
the
Three Stooges
can’t say the same thing.”

“
Oh my, God, what
happened?”

“
Mr. Everett and Mr. Aames
got into it, hot and heavy.”

“
Bart and Clinton? What
about?”

“
Your Mr. Bart insisted
Clinton give him all the paperwork concerning your inheritance.
Said he’s your attorney of record, or some such nonsense. He told
Clinton that he would have to deal directly with him from now on.”
He got up, walked over to the counter and picked up an envelope.
“That reminds me, I’m supposed to give you this and tell you to
sign them and give them back to me so I can mail them to
Clinton.”

“
What is it?” Sara asked as
she took the envelope from his hand.

“
If I understood correctly,
something that says Mr. Everett has the right to make decisions for
you.”

Sara dropped the envelope as if it had
burned her fingers. “I’m not signing any such thing.”

“
Clinton’s expecting to get
them back in the mail by next week.”

“
Well, he can expect away.”
She gave him a grin. “Don’t worry about it, Elias. I’ll handle Bart
when I go home. Is that the only trouble they gave you?”

“
Didn’t rightly give me any
trouble at all, but they had a little more thrown their way. They
had been arguing for about an hour, with the boat tossing up and
down in the swells. Now Mr. Aames is not a seasoned sailor.” He
laughed. “Your mother had been pretty quiet, listening to the two
legal eagles bantering back and forth and finally decided she’d had
enough. She walked over to lay down the law and nature kicked in
with a vengeance. Poor Mr. Aames couldn’t hold out any longer and
unloaded his breakfast onto your mother and Bart’s
shoes.”

For a moment, Sara sat
speechless, picturing the grim scene in her mind. Then the humor of
the situation sank in and she doubled over in laughter. Tears were
streaming down her cheeks before she managed to pull herself
together. Guiltily, she raised her gaze to Elias’s eyes. “Sorry,”
she gasped. “I know it’s not really funny, but I can just imagine
the look on Bart’s face when his
Cesare
Paciotti
shoes needed to be hosed
down.”

“
It was pretty funny at
that, Miss Sara.” Elias stood and walked toward the door. “I’m
going to head over to the cottage now. It’s been a really long day
for both of us and I’m pretty sure you could use some rest, too.”
He gave Sara a strange, searching look. “I’m sorry to have to do
this to you, Sara, but I’m going to need to be away for the next
three days.”

“
Wait, you promised to stay
here on the island with me.”

“
Hold on now, please. The
deal is either I stay, or someone I choose. Do you trust me to
leave someone here that can take care of things in my
place?”

Sara didn’t hesitate for a moment. “Of
course I do, Elias. Who do you plan to leave here?”

He smiled, obviously pleased with her
words. “I have a friend, who just happened to be friends with
Elizabeth, too. He’s promised to stay for the next three days and
show you the sights. Hell, he knows these islands and waters as
well as I do so there’s nothing you can’t ask him.”

“
Is he staying at the
cottage near the beach?”

“
Yeah, I’ve already made
sure it has everything he’ll need until I get back.” He walked over
and took her hand. “You can feel safe with him, Sara. He’s a good
man and he’ll make sure no harm comes to you. Let yourself relax
and have a good time. He knew your grandmother pretty well so let
him tell you all about her.” He kissed her fingers and then started
toward the door. “Get some rest, little girl. He’ll be here by
early in the morning. Maybe you’ll feel like offering him
breakfast.”

“
Wait,” Sara cried. “What’s
his name?”

“
Oh sorry, I must be getting
senile in my old age. His name’s Mel, Mel Sartar.”

Chapter 5

Sara nervously paced back
and forth on the covered porch, checking her watch for the
umpteenth time. She’d been unable to relax or sleep after Elias
dropped his little bombshell the night before. He’d been gone by
the time she’d recovered enough to find her voice.
Get a grip on yourself, Sara. It’s just a guide
for a couple of days, nothing more. I just need to calm down. It’s
not like it’s a blind date or anything.

A large bird fluttering
through the trees caught Sara’s attention. She turned to get a
better look, her gaze shooting out over the ocean. “Oh, my God,”
she gasped. A large boat sailed in the distance, heading away from
the island. Closer to shore, dolphins played in the quiet waters,
occasionally jumping toward the morning sky. She hurried to her
bedroom, grabbed the drawing she’d done the day before and carried
it back to the balcony. With trembling hands, she stared at the
boat and dolphins she’d added to the picture because she’d thought
it needed something else.
What the hell’s
going on? Am I turning psychic or something?
The sound of the doorbell interrupted her thoughts. “That’s
gotta be him.” Swallowing hard, she dropped her drawing and went to
meet Mel Sartar.

“
Would you like cream or
sugar with your coffee?” Sara struggled to keep the tremors from
her voice as she faced the handsome man sitting at the kitchen
table. She’d nearly fainted when she opened the door. Mel Sartar,
for all intense and purposes, came straight from her dreams. She’d
never seen her dream lover’s face clearly, but their build was
identical.

“
No, thanks. Black’s fine
with me.”

Sara watched as he sipped from the
china cup. He looked to be in his mid-twenties with really broad
shoulders, dark brown hair and the bluest eyes she’d ever seen.
“Elias said you were a friend of Grandmother’s.”

“
Not sure about friend, more
like an acquaintance. Elias introduced us about a year ago and she
allowed me to visit a few times since then.” He locked his
compassionate eyes on her own. “I’m very sorry for your loss.
Elizabeth was one of a kind, a wonderful woman.”

“
Thanks, I wish I’d known
her better. I wasn’t allowed to visit as a child and then I got so
caught up in my job and my own life I never took the time.” She
wiped her hand over her eyes. “I always thought there would time
for us to get to know one another.”

“
Life is precious and
shouldn’t be squandered. It’s too short for regrets.” He gave Sara
a curious look. “Elias told me you live in Atlanta and that you’re
engaged to be married. What do you do for a living,
Sara?”

“
I’m a teacher.” Sara
struggled to control her wandering thoughts. The memories of her
dream lover, so fresh in her mind, made it difficult to concentrate
on their conversation. “I teach pre-school age children.” She
sighed. “A lot of people think of me as a glorified
babysitter.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Do you just
sit and watch the kids all day or do you try and teach them
things?”

“
They learn all sorts of
things, the alphabet, their numbers, even how to write their names.
I try to incorporate learning into their games.”