The REASON Series - the Complete Collection (50 page)

He begins to do the same, trailing his fingers along her belly, down over her hips, across her pelvic bone and up the other side. His fingers are light against her skin, and her nipples harden.
 

He continues tracing the lines of her body, carefully avoiding all of those spots that would send her over the edge. Her caresses have stirred his erection once again, but he’s not sure how she’d feel about a round two. He’s content to touch her in any way he can.

She writhes beneath the slow, sensual patterns he is making along her skin, which has been made even more sensitive by the explosive orgasm she experienced not all that long ago. The desire she feels for him is building once again, and she can feel his erection pressed against her thigh between them, but since he hasn’t made a move to intensify the contact between them, she’s not entirely sure what to make of it.
 

She can’t see his body and he can’t see hers, but their touching continues until the pleasure closes their eyes one last time and they fall asleep in each other’s arms.

FIFTEEN

Around noon, Vivienne begins to stir in Mikah’s arms. One of his legs is draped over her, and his arms are both wrapped around her. She takes a deep breath, breathing in his scent: sweet and heady and simply Mikah.
 

She fights the urge to squirm. She really needs to go to the bathroom, but he’s sleeping so peacefully – something she’s never seen before because he always manages to wake up before her - that the idea of waking him nearly breaks her heart. He looks so innocent. The beautifully tanned skin of his bare chest begs her to touch it.
 

Last night feels like a dream and miles away from right now. She’d come home from the spa trip with Celeste to find her apartment lined with candles, the pictures, the bracelet, and then the clothes, that dress, the one she always seems to be wearing in Elysium. Then taking her to the charity gala. Did she really tell him that she’d go back to school and eventually work for him? She smiles at the memory of the evening and where it had been going...at least until Red had interrupted them.

Going to Elysium and having Mikah find out about nearly everything makes her a little anxious. She knows that she still needs to tell him about the shifter.
 

She also knows that at some point she wants to speak with Elizabeth about talking to her mother in private. This, Vivienne knows, will not be an easy thing, but it is important. Vivienne would never have gotten to talk with her mother while she was still alive, at least not with any real conversation or comprehension. Maybe this is her chance to tell her mother how she feels, at the very least.

Her bladder finally overcomes her desire to let Mikah sleep, and Vivienne squirms involuntarily.
 

Mikah stirs. His blue eyes meet hers and a smile spreads across his lips. Vivienne swallows the thoughts of her mother and smiles back at him.
 

“Good morning, beautiful.” he whispers, his voice groggy from sleep.
 

She smiles wider at his vulnerability. “Good morning,” she says back.
 

“How’d you sleep?” he says as he slowly peels himself off of her.
 

There is both joy at being free so she can use the bathroom and sadness at the loss of their connection.
 

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

She blushes. “I have to use the bathroom.”
 

“Oh,” he says, and he pulls back to free her completely. “Sorry.” He smiles sheepishly.
 

She runs her finger along the bridge of his nose. “Don’t be.” She climbs out of bed and heads for the bathroom.
 

Weeks ago, when Vivienne crawled onto Mikah’s cot in the hospital room that night, he savored it, afraid it was a momentary weakness on her part and that it would never happen again. But this morning outshines anything he felt that night.

Her bright blue eyes, messy, bright red hair and beautiful smile stop his heart. He’d tried so hard to control himself, to not rush through being with her the first time, but being with her was exquisite in the most delicious way he could’ve ever imagined. After last night he was worried about how she’d feel toward him this morning, but she is here with him.

The morning-after bliss clouds his memory of the other events of last evening. So much happened in Elysium, but it will be dealt with tomorrow. Today he wants to spend with Vivienne, whether in bed all day or out of it. Today is their day.
 

He rubs his eyes, getting rid of the crusty sleep, and stretches. He looks over at the nightstand. The clock says 12:33p.m. He smiles. It has been probably ten years since he’s slept until after noon.
 

Vivienne steps into his field of vision and he smiles at her. Her answering smile is warm.
 

“How are you feeling?” he asks.
 

“Good. Still tired, but I feel great.”

“You look amazing,” he says, his hungry eyes roam over her naked form standing at the foot of the bed. He laughs a little when she realizes that she’s naked.
 

“Jeez, thanks for reminding me.” She scurries into the bed and under the covers.
 

“Never cover yourself for me. I think you’re beautiful.” He kisses her on the forehead and pulls the covers back. “My turn.”
 

He quickly jumps out of bed, giving her a view of his beautiful, well-sculpted ass as he disappears into the bathroom. She blushes and buries herself under the covers.
 

Mikah emerges from the bathroom and leans on the doorjamb, watching to see if she’ll emerge from her hiding place under the covers. When she doesn’t stir, he decides to play with her. He creeps to the foot of the bed. When he lifts up the comforter, she giggles. The sheet is still between them, but looking up her body, he can see the swell of her belly. It’s one of the most beautiful things he’s ever seen.
 

He climbs onto the bed under the comforter and snakes his way up her body, kissing and breathing hotly through the sheet between them, and she giggles again. When he reaches her belly he kisses it, then reaches up to pull the sheet back. She helps him lower it.
 

Still underneath the comforter, she stares down into his beautiful blue eyes. He looks so sweet and boyish hiding under the covers, his hair all mussed up. The image is breathtaking, and the now-familiar ache from last night returns.
 

Mikah senses her shift in mood. He slides up a little further until his mouth is even with hers. His kiss is filled with passionate promises of what’s to come.

SIXTEEN

Sometime later they emerge from under the comforter, sweaty and breathing heavily. Neither one of them speaks until their heart rates calm down and their breathing returns to normal.
 

“Are you hungry?”

Vivienne laughs a little bit. “I’m starving,” she says, and he smiles back at her.
 

“We can’t have that. How about breakfast in bed?”

She laughs a little harder. “Breakfast? Mikah, it’s nearly two in the afternoon.”

He laughs with her. “You’re right, but it’s never too late for breakfast.”
 

He flings the covers aside, sits on the edge of the bed and looks around for his pants. “Hmm,” he says when he can’t find them. He gives up, deciding instead to give Vivienne another show. He stands and walks toward the closet. When she realizes that he’s walking around naked, she hides under the covers again, giggling.
 

Mikah grabs two pairs of pants, one for him and one for her. He also grabs one of his Boston College t-shirts for her to throw on.

“Here you go, sweetheart,” he says, emerging from the closet. “I’ll have Celeste and the boys bring your stuff up from the condo downstairs, but in the meantime, here’s a pair of my pants and a t-shirt for you.”

She peeks coquettishly out from under the covers and giggles again.
 

He laughs. “You silly girl.”

She smiles and he leans down to kiss her. She kisses him back, remembering all too clearly the last hour or so spent under the sheets.
 

But he doesn’t linger.
 

“Mind if I take a shower?” she asks.
 

“Never ask me, my home is your home. Please, make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back in a bit with food,” he says as he reaches the door.
 

As soon as he leaves the room Vivienne is desperate to see him again, but instead she climbs out of bed and takes the clothes Mikah’s laid out for her into the bathroom.
 

Mikah isn’t in the kitchen very long when he hears the running water of the shower. Smiling at the idea of Vivienne in his shower, he opens the fridge. He’s moving a few things around when Celeste comes around the corner.
 

“Can I help you, Mikah?”
 

He jumps at her voice and grazes his head on the door of the fridge in his haste to stand and turn around.
 

“Good morning, Celeste.”
 

“Afternoon, sir,” she says with a grin.

He laughs. “No, I think I can handle some bacon, eggs and toast.”
 

“Of course.” She hesitates a moment. “Mikah, I just wanted to apologize. For last night.”
 

He cocks his head at her.
 

“Neither Red nor I nor any of us had any intention of having to spring who and what we are on you like that. We wanted to wait until you were comfortable with being an angel before we sat down to discuss it with you.”
 

“Stop. Though I don’t appreciate being kept of out things and I’m not certain I’ve grasped all of this angel stuff yet, I’m not angry. But I am curious as to how Vivienne found out before I did.”
 

Celeste looks uncomfortable for a moment. “I suggest you ask Vivienne about that. It’s not my place to explain it.”
 

“Fair enough.”
 

“Do you need anything else?” she asks, changing the subject.

“Can you and the boys clean out the apartment downstairs? Bring up whatever you need from down there, plus all of Vivienne’s things?” he asks, his voice gentler than when they first started talking.
 

“It’s already been done. Her stuff is in the second bedroom. I will move it over to your room, if you’d like, when you’re not in the bedroom.”

“Please?”
 

She nods.
 

“Thank you, Celeste.”

“Anything, anytime. Anything else?”

“No, I’m good. I think we’re going to spend the day in bed or in the TV room.”
 

“Sounds good.”
 

The shower turns off and Celeste takes that as a cue to leave. She heads down the hall toward the door, and Mikah goes about starting their breakfast.
 

Vivienne towels off and gets dressed. Her hair is still soaking wet, so she wraps it up in her towel and piles it on top of her head. She smells like Mikah – well, at least his body wash – and she savors the scent.
 

The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind of events, and when she woke up yesterday, she never imagined that this morning she would wake up with Mikah. She smiles into the mirror as she throws on Mikah’s Boston College t-shirt and turns to leave the bathroom, knowing that Mikah is probably waiting for her in bed.
 

When she steps out of the bathroom, though, he isn’t there. She can smell bacon frying, so she heads for the kitchen.
 

When she opens the door she hears shifting and plates being set down, followed by the popping sound of the toaster. She comes around the corner of the kitchen to see him standing over the stove stirring something. She smiles because he’s still shirtless and his wings are shimmering in the light over the center bar.
 

“Smells wonderful,” she says, and Mikah jumps just a little bit. She giggles. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He turns toward her, taking in the beautiful sight of her in his t-shirt, her hair up in a towel, and the beautiful smile on her face. “Feeling better?”
 

She nods. “The shower felt great, thank you.”
 

He comes around the counter and wraps his arms around her. “I said we’d have breakfast in bed.” He kisses the top of her forehead. “So why don’t you go lie back down, get comfortable, and I will be in in just a couple of minutes.”

“But I like watching you cook,” she grumbles against his chest.
 

He laughs. “There’s plenty of time to watch me cook. Go on. I want to serve you breakfast in bed.”
 

“Hmph,” she huffs.
 

She stalks off toward the bedroom and he laughs at his fiery tiger.

Guessing the direction of his thoughts, she can’t help but smile to herself as she crosses the threshold into the bedroom.

SEVENTEEN

“What would you like to do today?” he asks as he wipes his mouth and hands with a napkin. He places the napkin back on the tray he’s brought into the bedroom, and then his hand seeks hers.

“Do you have work to do?”
 

He scowls at her question. “Today is just for us. I’d had plans to take you shopping today, get some more clothes for you, but I think it would be better if we stayed in the condo.”
 

She thinks about this and finds that she’s not at all upset about the idea of him buying her more clothes. Everything’s different between them since last night, and suddenly it feels okay. Though perhaps part of the reason it feels okay is because they won’t actually be going shopping.

“I’d like to get my stuff from the condo downstairs,” she says.
 

“Already done. Celeste had it all brought up and placed in the second bedroom while we were sleeping.” He winks at her and she blushes. “I’d like to have her move your clothes over here into my closet, if you’d like that?” The question is already out before he can stop himself, and only then does he begin to feel uneasy. He didn’t mean to ask her to make a decision about whether to stay with him and live out of the same bedroom so soon.