What the Heart Knows (9 page)

“Why not?”

“Because I was raised in a Catholic home… I don’t know. I guess because I’ve never seen anything to make me believe otherwise.”  She noticed he refused to look at her when he spoke, and for some reason that sparked her anger.

“That’s why you need to come with me to complete number fifty on my list.”  Her words were more forceful than she meant them to be, and she attempted to temper them with a smile.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. A purr sounded in the back of her throat as she slipped her tongue inside and sampled his unique flavor. It was like she couldn’t get enough of him. Juni buried her fingers into his thick hair and scraped her nails along his scalp. She nibbled his bottom lip
,
pausing to grin when he shivered. A surge of pride filled her as the heady feeling of power made her bold. A quick role placed her on top of his body, and she straddled his hips.

“I think I like this role reversal,” she said. She bent down to nip at his lips before she moved down his neck.

“Juniper?”

“Shh, I want to try something new.” 

   She lifted up his shirt and took a hardened nipple into her mouth. His back arched as she bit down and
then
pulled away to sooth
e
the sting with her tongue. She pulled back a few moments later to slide down his legs and unbuckle his pants. A confidence she’d never experienced before took over as she unfastened his belt, and pulled down the zipper of his jeans with deft fingers. Propped up against the couch he watched her with wide green eyes covered by half lowered lids.

“You like this
,
don’t you?” she asked.

  It should have shocked her t
hat he would relinquish control
so easily. But as with most things where Oliver was involved
,
the information seemed almost second nature.

“Yes.”  The husky tone his voice had taken on made her swallow back a moan.

   He was so damn sexy when he was like this.
She
peeled back
his
jeans and freed his hardened cock from black boxer briefs. The milky white bead of c
u
m
beckoned her like a magnet.
A swirl of her tongue around his swollen
,
mushroom
-
shaped head produced more of the ambrosia. 
T
he salty flavor exploded onto her taste buds
as
she lapped at the offering
.

“God, Juni.”

S
he sucked him in her mouth, relaxed her throat, and took him deep.

“Shit
!”

She hollowed her cheeks
,
gripped him firmly at his base and fo
und a rhythm that made him
thrust into her mouth.

“I’m gonna come
,
babe!”

The words accompanied by the trembling of his body pushed her to
stroke
faster and a few moments later she swallowed down his seed.
She licked him clean,
tucked him back into his boxer briefs, re
fastened
his jeans and leaned back on her heels.

“N-not that I’m complaining, but where did that come from?” Oliver asked
.

“I
have no idea,
”
she said.
Juniper shook her head to clear the cobwebs that had settled in.
It was almost as if she’d been on autopilot. Oliver wasn’t her first sexual relationship, but he was
her most intense
one.  Amazing how different things could be when you weren’t worried about your heart giving out. Never one to dwell on the negative
for too long,
she returned to her previous argument.

“After that, how can you say no to my tiny request
,
Oli?”

“What did you say?”  The blood drained from his face as he moved into a sitting
position.
          
“Umm, I said
,
how can you say no after that?”

“No, you called me Oli?”

“Did I?”

“Yes.”

“Would you rather I didn’t?” she asked
,
u
nsure of what had set him off.

“No, it just caught me off guard. You’ve never called me that before.”

She remained silent, sensing there was more to his unease.

“Did she call you that?”

  The jealousy she expected to experience never came. Instead she felt a bond. They both loved this man, and if he needed her to be a sounding board now she would be. They had come a long way and she refused to backslide because he felt he couldn’t talk to her.

“Yeah, but it’s not an exclusive thing
.
M
y whole family uses that nickname.”

“It’s okay if you want to talk about her
,
Oliver. I don’t expect you to completely forget your wife, or the good times you had together because she’s deceased. I’m not threatened by the presence of her ghost.”

“I don’t want you to think I’m not over her,” he said. He peered at her through the curtain of blond hair that had fallen into his eyes.

“I understand you’ll always love her
,
Oliver. As long as I’m your main focus I don’t mind sharing a little.”  She winked in an attempt to lighten the mood, and moved to sit beside him on the couch.

“I don’t want to pry, but it might help if you talk about it.”

“There’s nothing to talk about it.”

She arched an eyebrow at his tone, and inclined her head to the side.

“Okay, let me rephrase. There’s nothing worth mentioning,” he said.

“Hmmm…
”

“Didn’t you want to tell me about the next thing on your list?”

“Number fifty
:
visit a psychic.”
           
“Are you serious?”

“Yes, but not just any old run of the mill psychic with a crystal ball. Someone’s who
’
s been proven to be accurate.”

“And where exactly do you plan on finding this person?” Oliver asked.

“More stall tactics?”

“No, I’m genuinely curious.”

“I’ve done my research and there’s a fortune teller named Madeline
.
”

“No Madam in the front?”

“No,” she said. A deep frown turned down the corner of her lips as she narrowed her eyes. “If you’re going to use this as a distraction method, the least you can do is treat it with some respect.”

“Okay.”  He held his palms held up to indicate surrender.  “Tell me when and where and we’ll go.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Excellent
.
I
t’s about a thirty minute drive, and walk
-
ins are welcome.”

“Why do I feel like this is an ambush?”

“Because sometimes I swear you’re allergic to fun.”  Her delivery was lighthearted, but the words themselves were honest.

She’d dragged Oliver back into life kicking and screaming, and at times the relapse was horrendous. It was like he’d been punishing himself for living when his wife died. Juni sensed there was still more to that story, but prying would only drive a wedge between them, and she hoped eventually he’d open up to her on his own. For now it wasn’t hurting anyone to have some secrets left to be discovered.

“Lead the way.”

“I will.”

She stood from the couch and beamed down at him as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to a standing position.

“Come on, at the l
e
ast it’ll be fun. You didn’t want to go star gazing either, and that turned out to be fun.”

“Because we made love under the moonlight.”

“Minor detail.”

She laughed as she waited for him to pull himself back together before she pulled him to the door.  Out of the one
hundred things she’d written down she’d managed to accomplish a good seventy-five. The ten most recent had been accomplished with Oliver. It was more than a bonding time between them; it was healing. She loved to watch the somber man blossom and know she was a part of the catalyst for the change.

*
***

Oliver tried hard not to roll his eyes as they pulled up in front of a tiny white house with green shutters.  He couldn’t believe the things this woman had actually gotten him to do. Over the past two years he’d felt every one of his thirty
-
six years, but now it was like he was in the middle of being reborn. Colors were brighter, and ideals were fresh once more when he saw them through Juniper’s eyes. At the time his world had til
t
ed on its axis and collapsed, hers had opened with limitless possibilities for the very first time. It was why they made such a good match.

Juni turned to him and met his gaze with a serious expression on her face.

“You have to promise me something before we go inside,” she said.

“Shoot
.
”

“You have to be respectful, even though you don’t believe in what she does.”

“Of course.”

“I’m serious
,
Oli
.
I don’t want to offend her and adversely affect our reading.”

“I promise.”  The familiar nickname still sounded strange on her lips. Though he’d never tell her this out loud, it cre
e
p
ed
him out.  There was an infliction in her voice when she said it that reminded him of Hannah. He’d be willing to pay Madeline a hefty sum of money if she could tell him how to exorcise the memories that haunted him.

“Good.” She leaned across the car’s cons
o
l
e
to hug him. “Smile, this is supposed to be fun.”

“Until she pulls out the death card.”

“You should know from those horror movies you love so much that can mean the end of something.”

“Can, but never does.”

“Come on
,
you big baby, we’re not even having our cards read.”

She rolled her eyes before she stepped from the car, and he exited on the driver side. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they made their way up the tiny concrete path and up the stairs.  A sign posted on the door told them to ring the bell for service.

“I’ll let you do the honors,” he said.

His hand gesture made her roll her eyes and he fought back a snort at how solemn she’d become.  The doorbell seemed to echo through the house and he had to give Madeline an A for effort when it came to ambience.  They hadn’t even made it inside the house yet, and his creep factor was at three and rising. The warm night seemed to turn chilly and the shadows deepened a tad bit more than usual as the sun set. Orange and red hues shifted to deep purples, and he tensed as the doorknob turned. The sight that greeted him made him want to laugh.  The older woman who stood in front of them looked to be in her mid
-
fifties with olive skin, dark eyes, and salt and pepper hair that trailed down her back. She was dressed in a simple black skirt and black blouse that screamed normal. The only jewelry she wore was a gold wedding band, and her round face was kind and etched with laugh lines.

“You’re here to see me, yes?” she asked.

The minute she spoke, his concept of grandmother went out the window. There was power in that voice. An authoritative tone that made you sit up straight and pay attention to what she was saying. He tensed as a knowing smile appeared on her face, and the dark eyes that had seemed harmless became piercing.

“You’re Ms. Madeline?” Juni asked.

“Yes, but please just call me Madeline. Come on in. You’ve picked the perfect time for a visit. I’m clear for the rest of the evening.”

She stepped back to allow them to enter the house, and Oliver was surprised to find it looked like any other business run out of a home. There were chairs lined up in the foyer
,
which served as a waiting room, and off to the right there was a water dispenser and a table with a coffee pot, creamer, sugar, swizzle sticks, and paper cups. It was rather anti
-
climatic.

“This is not what you expected?” Madeline asked.

“No
,
ma’am.”

“Please, it’s Madeline, and who might you two lovely young people be?”

“I’m Juniper, and this is my boyfriend Oliver.”

“Aaah, young love
,
yes? The emotion that exists between the two of you is quite powerful. The two of you are very well matched.”