Yield (32 page)

Ames jumped halfway across the room like I’d bit him. I giggled.  I’d done that a lot lately.

“How do you know she
’s there?”

“She knocked a few minutes ago.”

“I didn’t hear it.”

“Guys have secret handshakes.  We have secret knocks.”

His eyes blinked once or twice before saying, “Why would you need a secret knock?”

I knew my cheeks were hot.  “Oh Ames.  You know.”

A foot closer to me now, “Why don’t you enlighten me?”

Gulp.  “I
’m drawing a line,” I made an imaginary line across the blue and green carpet that sat in the middle of my floor.  “You are keeping your promise of no more touching and I’m going to hold you to it.  You know very well what Katelyn would not want to walk in on and probably like it.  You’re little display behind the main hall doors wasn’t a secret.  I’ve been accosted by every female in the realm this week with the question of how good a kisser you are.”

Another step, but not over my line.  “And?”
              “And what?” I puzzled.

“What did you tell them?”
              I swear this man switches lines of thought fifty times a conversation.

“You
’ll just have to ask them?”

“Oh, I will,” he promised.

So maybe that wasn’t the right approach to getting us out of this. 

“Katelyn
’s waiting,” I whispered hoarsely.  I could tell I’d anchored my feet apart and held my fists behind my back to resist running over my own line.

“I will find a way
, Emma.” 

“I know.”  He meant the magic.

A nod to me, a nod to Katelyn who was standing way to close to the door when it opened, and he was gone. 

Katelyn didn
’t let me spare a detail or let sleep come till almost midnight.

At exactly three o-clock on the very hour, I woke up in a cold sweat.  Shooting up in the bed, I patted the bed looking for Ames.  I felt an arm and followed it up to long, freezing cold hair spread across the middle of the sheets.

“If you think you’re getting your way with me, you’re going to get face kicked by your best friend.”

“Aaa!”  I screamed.

Groggily, Katelyn sat up and peered at me in the dark.  When her eyes focused, she gasped.  “Emma, what’s wrong?”

I froze.  Was I covered in spots or did my hair fall out?  Everything horribly possible to ruin my wedding went through my mind.  Was there a huge zit on my face?

I hopped out of bed and made it two steps before I blacked out.

Waking up after a half hour nap on the eve of my wedding night to find out my girl is out cold on the floor that was caused by me is worst damn day of my life. I flew through the hall to her room.  I swear a hundred people were in there already and Wicker told me it had been maybe less than a minute.

I screamed her name.  I couldn
’t feel her at all.  The damn drink worked on me, but right now I feel like death.  My body ached like it was retaliating the loss of magic and screaming at me to get it back.

They wouldn
’t move.  I couldn’t see her.

Water was everywhere.

“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted at Katelyn.

“Trying to wake her up
, you lug.  I can’t wake her up.  She won’t wake up.”  She screamed at me, crying in between sobs.

“MOVE!”

Down beside her I saw her chest rise the second my hand stroked her cheek.  A breath escaped heating my wrist where it fell across her bare shoulders. 

“Get a damn sheet or something,” I heard myself scream.  I could tell I sounded like a madman.

Something fell across her legs and I pulled it up to where my arms covered her chest.  She wasn’t exposed; I just didn’t want anyone seeing her.

She was breathing in a pattern.   I said her name.  I tried whispering in her ear for her to wake up.

Pain was all over me like I might be dying with her. It didn’t look like she was dying, but she wasn’t waking up.  Was she is some kind of coma?  CPR!

“
Did you do CPR?”  I asked anyone.

“No.  Only the water after she wouldn
’t answer me.  I shook her, but she was dead weight.”

I asked if she was breathing the whole time and every other question I could think of.

I can’t lose her. 

The pain was worse.  I couldn
’t close my eyes and lose sight of her but I was dying to uproot a tree and ease the pressure that was heaving my insides.  I laid my head down to listen to her heart so I could see when her eyes opened.

Be a damn man, I told myself.  This girl was hurt.  Why was my body doing this?  Could I feel her pain?

Something Star Trek strange happened next.  Emma’s chest moved under my face making me face plant the elbow I didn’t see coming at me.  Her body spun sideways and wrapped around me.

“Ames,” she murmured low.  What happened next, I would never try to explain to another much less understand it myself. 

In the moment her mind clicked on with the opening of her eyes, the pain in my body clicked off.  Like the beats of a song, the tempo changed and the soft sounds of her voice echoed down within my very soul.  I felt certain of the next part though.  Inside, I could see her wave through every emotion one could fathom in a passing moment.  And I knew without a doubt that she was feeling mine.  It wasn’t a feeling, it was just there.  I just knew.

It was all back.  “Say something,” I asked her.  Anything.  I just wanted to hear her.

“Did you feel that?” she blushed.

Did I feel that?
  Moronic me asked, “Did you?”

Emma nodded shyly.  “I think I got my mojo back?”

Maybe it wasn’t cool to let go in front of a crowd like we had, but I didn’t care.  Tears were running down her cheeks and I needed her closer.  The only way I could was her mouth. 

I
’m sure if I’d paid attention I would have heard a few comments that would warrant a fist talking, but once again, I didn’t care. 

Holding the blanket over her and around her now, I kissed her till I knew she was out of breath and would force me to let go.  I didn
’t want to let go.

“You two plan on waiting at least the eight or so hours you have left or should we all just leave and make sure the kiddies are far from the door.”

Trigger knew just how to ruin a moment.

“Everybody out,” yelled Wicker.  “Emma is okay.  Let
’s give them space.”

Several night-gown clad women tried to arm their way in closer and Wicker and Trigger pushed them back.  Gently.

Emma stumbled to her feet as I kept the blanket wrapped tightly around her.  “I’m fine ladies.  I promise.”

Skeptical, they left.  When we were alone, I let go.

“Do you have it all back?” I asked searching her body now for bruises from the fall.  I dropped the blanket and started with her arms worrying her elbows might have hit the floor first by the way she was laying.  Her hair dripped from Katelyn’s debacle move to wake her.  I couldn’t blame her.

“What are you looking for, magic tattoos?” she laughed. 

I stopped and pulled away realizing my hand was on her ass.  “Sorry.”  But I did see the mark under her arm, two inches down.  It matched my own.

She laughed again.  “Don
’t ever be sorry for doing that.  But I do need to sit down.”

“Sorry,” I apologized again.  I could be such an idiot around her.  I led her to the bed instead of the sofa she tried to sit on telling her she needed to lie down.  She let me check her legs and arms, but I begged her to check everywhere else and tell me she was okay. 

Sheepishly, she lifted the sheet I’d just pulled to her neck and started peeking under the covers with dare me eyes. 
              “I don’t think this is the time for that, love.” I hardened my tone knowing she’d get my drift.  She was awfully spunky for just being laid out from a fainting spell.  Oh, heck if I couldn’t feel her twice as much as before.  I’d lost my magic for all of a few hours and with it back, it was like a tidal wave.

“Fine.
Love
.  No spanky hanky for you tomorrow then.  I’m too tired.”

What?  “I wouldn
’t go that far.”

She turned ten shades of red when I put my hand across her stomach.  Even the smallest of touches sparked her desire.  I couldn
’t resist.  “I feel that.”

“What?” she turned even redder.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Oh, that.  If you would take your hand off me it wouldn
’t be a problem.”

“Never considered it a problem, more like a radar.  And it will only get better once I know each and every spot to make you blush darker than you already are.”

“You...you mean man. Stop embarrassing me.”

Never.  Her face evened out and turned sad.  “What
’s wrong?”

“This radar is definitely back on,”
she sighed.  “I know it’s our pre-wedding morning, but do you think you could just hold me and let me sleep a couple of hours.  I don’t want to fall asleep on you on the post-wedding night.”

“Oh, you won
’t be sleeping, but yes I will hold you.”

“Under the covers?” she pouted a lip out. 

“Oh, what the heck.  I waited this long to ravage every inch of you, I can wait hours.  But you better be well rested.”

“Deal,” she yawned.
             

“Can I make you mad enough to see if your other powers are back?” I spooned the back of her hating every second of it.  I wanted more.

“No,” she yawned again, “I haven’t the energy.”

How ironic.

Perhaps that was the deepest sleep I have ever had, but I didn
’t expect to wake up to someone thumping my head.

I poked my eyes open and found a blurry version of Katelyn an inch from my face.  Instinctively, I leaned my head backwards to compensate the distance. 

“You need to get up.”
              Why?  No.  I don’t want to move.  I closed my eyes and ignored her hoping she would go away. Under the covers I linked my fingers with Ames’ hand that was resting comfortably on my hip.  If not for the whole doing the deed part, it probably looked a lot like we were together...together.  I’d made it well known to everyone we hadn’t and how much it was important to Ames that we didn’t, so I wasn’t concerned with gossip.

“Emma,” she whispered loudly again.

“Go away.”

“I can
’t.  It’s nearly ten o’clock.”

What happened next?  I fell out of the bed onto the floor tangled with Katelyn.

Looking up from where I’d just popped my neck from slamming my head on the floor, Ames peered over the bed and chuckled, “If I’d known you swayed the other way Emma, I would have never asked you to be mine.”

“
Shut up, husband.”

“Not yet,” he hit me with a pillow. On the third blast, I stole the weapon and slammed it into his face.  He flew off the bed and disappeared over the other side a little farther away than could be considered normal.

Horrified, I ran around to the other side.

“I
’m so sorry.  I’m so sorry.  I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“It didn
’t hurt anything but maybe my pride, love,” he pushed his hair away from his eyes.  “But I guess we know you’ve got your other magically abilities back.”

Ames stood and rubbed his bum like maybe it did hurt a little.  My inner giggle was going strong now that I knew he was okay.  Man, I feel like I could flatten a two story building with the energy I felt mounting in me.

“Let’s get that out in other ways, shall we?”  His wolfish grin was telling all.

“Ahem.”  A voice called from the middle of the room.

“Oh, sorry Katelyn.  I forget you were here,” he chuckled.

“Obviously,” she cooed.  “Ames, do you think you could go take a shower or something? Cold maybe.”

Ames swung by me and pecked my cheek, “Not even a cold shower will hinder what I’d rather be doing right now.  Till forever, love.”  Another kiss on my forehead and an arm squeeze later, he saluted Katelyn and left out the door shirtless and barefoot.

I didn
’t even get to appreciate it like I would have wanted to.  Aww!

I was dressed, ready, and standing beside the main doors to the courtyard.  I could feel Ames close and knew he could feel me.  Ode to mojo!

Barely there music was playing from an instrument that looked like a violin, but slightly larger.  I think it’s called a viola. 

My heels were tall, but not too tall.  My dress was elegant and shimmery and plastered to me like a second skin.  When the ladies said they could make a dress to fit my body, and my body alone, they weren
’t kidding.  Backless to the point it was questionably provocative, I worried what he would think. 

My hair was pinned up all the way around with strays falling in the right places.  Little dainty silver clips were layered in my hair and the perfect amount of make-up layered my perfect wedding day.  I couldn
’t wait for Ames to see the dress and I couldn’t wait to see him in a tux.  Yes, I’d seen him in one, but not meant to be worn just for me.

Katelyn gestured for me to go and my nerves shot up to a hundred plus on a scale where it usually sat at about fifty anywhere Ames was looking at me like he was now.  I intended to look at the whole package, but all I could see was his eyes.  Green as the emeralds in the ring already on my hand, I could see them a mile away.

His eyes lifted telling me his smile had moved with them making me search for dimples.  They were there, both of them.  I took another step and somewhere in the back of my mind I knew there were people all around me, but I forgot to look at them. 

I measured how long before I would be beside him.  Seven more steps.  They needed to speed up the song so I could get there faster. 

Three steps out from being there, I finally noticed the whole.  Yum!  That was the only word I could think of.  Ames in a tux was just...wow!