Chapter 9

Solidified

 

It was a cloudy day in London…. Not that Danielle noticed or even cared as her hands traveled over the satin fabric of her wedding gown. In the upper bride’s room of the cathedral, she peered at herself in the cheval mirror, admiring how the dress had turned out.

Because it was irresistibly inviting, Danielle couldn’t seem to stop sliding her fingers over the white material. With a sweetheart neckline, the bodice was covered with ornate beadwork consisting of tiny sequins and pearls in a design that was much more intricate than her ball gown had been.

Ruching at the sides of the skirt made it swoop in the front, adding a vintage touch to the mostly modern design. The sides were then embellished with a continuing spray of the same delicate beading as on the bodice. The fabric rustled as she turned to eye the chapel-length train which was gathered up at different points. Each gather was accented with more pearls and sequins.

The sheer veil fell down her back like a waterfall of lace and was almost as long as her train. Crystals glittered and flashed from the tiara Jean Claude had insisted on. Feeling like a princess, she was glad he had. Maybe what she had was even better than anything she’d read in Austen’s books. But fear of being attacked on such a special day did dilute the joy struggling to burst inside her chest.

“Danielle, you look absolutely breathtaking,” her mother said as she fastened the pearl necklace that she and Grandmother had worn at their weddings around her neck. The family heirloom completed her pearl-themed ensemble. Danielle smiled and touched the cameo hanging from the pearl strand, and slid her fingertips down to the pearl-drop hanging from the base of the setting. She also wore the pearl earrings that Ethan had given her.

“Are you ready, Danielle?” Nadia asked while inspecting Danielle’s hairpins to make sure they all securely held her curls in place.

“I’ve never been more ready,” she replied, hiding the fact that she was worried about Celeste or Lucas crashing the ceremony.

Brianna set a pair of beaded shoes down in front of her and Danielle slid them on. After a few more adjustments to her train, the ladies escorted her from the room.

Her father beamed down at her as she took his arm. “I’m so proud of you, princess,” he whispered, and then kissed her on the cheek.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

Danielle’s vision blurred with the tears she’d managed to fight off earlier as she approached Ethan who was standing at the front next to the bishop smiling. Struggling to blink them away, she clutched her bouquet and her father’s arm tighter. Please don’t make a mess of yourself before the ceremony even starts!

Focused on Ethan, she barely noticed the music playing as her feet moved across the petal-covered aisle. Ignoring the many guests she sensed seated in the pews on either side of her, Danielle returned his smile. Stop being so emotional! she thought irritably as she shoved an escaped tear from her cheek.

Her eyes widened when she realized—as she got closer to her groom—that she was setting his emotions off as well. He said nothing, though his love-drenched gaze said everything.

Their eyes locked as Ethan took her hand and that same familiarity washed over her. This was meant to be, they were meant to be. They’d been together before this life began, and would continue long after that, whether they were living on Earth or in Heaven. It was something she knew deep down, something she couldn’t question because it could always be seen when she looked into his blue gaze.

Danielle swallowed as the clergyman began. The whole experience felt like a dream. She said “I do” when she was asked, and so did he, but it all went by in an unbelievable, and wonderful blur. Until the bishop said, “You may kiss the bride.” Her focus then landed on Ethan’s handsome mouth, anticipating the kiss that sealed the deal.

The crowd of friends and relatives sighed, cheered and wept, as they generally do at weddings when the groom kisses his bride, and then she was whisked away with Ethan to begin the reception which was to be held at their new home amongst the ruins.

After they arrived, her mother bustled up the train of her dress so that she and Ethan could begin their first dance together. The music rose into the air as Ethan took her left hand into his right, and placed his other at the small of her back. After soaking in the look of pride and happiness surrounding his expression, a line formed between her eyebrows when she noticed that the melody was that same strange mix of historical music touched with that earthy fairy twist she’d heard when they got engaged. “Same band?” she asked.

“I thought it fitting.”

“Yes, it fits.” She traveled his face with her gaze again, then said, “I love you, by the way.”

“I certainly hope so, because if you don’t, it’s too late now. There’s simply no escape because I’ll never let you go.”

With her mouth lifting into a soft smile, she looked up at him and shoved any worries lurking in the back of her mind aside.

He dropped his mouth to her ear. “When I saw you walking down that aisle on your father’s arm, I swear, my heart stopped beating again.”

Danielle moved her hand to his chest. “I still feel it thumping away—okay, so it would still be thumping away because it’s daylight, but you get my meaning...”

“I don’t think you’d like being married to a cursed man.”

“True. I remember how cranky you were right after you’d, er … eaten. Now, after a meal, you’re such a happy guy.”

Ethan chuckled closing the distance between their bodies while he pressed on her back, and then kissed her.

As he left her lips and went for her neck, she giggled and tipped her chin to the side, then blinked when a moving light caught her attention. Her gaze landed on the shifting lights amongst the roses that adorned the ruins surrounding them. She wondered how they were showing up so well in the daylight. Yes, they were in the shade, but….

“Is that—?” She captured his gaze with hers.

He smiled wider and she could see the lights twinkling in his eyes, they were so bright.

Ethan steered her closer so she could get a better look. The lights flickered like real fireflies as they appeared to move on their own … no, not fireflies, fairies! Danielle sucked in a breath when she recognized little Alora amongst them with her tiny mouth on a golden flute and her fingers tapping along the top edge of it. The fairy stopped playing, and lifted a finger to her lips.

Looking over her shoulder to make sure her mortal relatives hadn’t seen this, Ethan spoke softly in her ear, “They’ll never see them. Don’t worry.”

“But the music—”

“Is coming from the band over there.” He winked.

She recognized the vampires from the ball as Ethan tantalized her neck with soft words and more kisses as he took her about the waist and moved her back to the dance floor.

They fed each other bites of wedding cake after her bridesmaids had pulled their ribbons. She knew from the look on Ethan’s face that he couldn’t bring himself to smash the messy confection into her face, and she couldn’t do it to him either.

Danielle was surprised to find it wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it would be. This fruitcake was lighter than how she remembered that horrible stuff her grandmother liked. And realized Ethan had made certain of that when she saw the knowing twist of his lips. She couldn’t help but smirk, however, at the look of ecstasy on his face as he tasted it. Apparently wedding cake wasn’t something he’d tried yet. After licking his fingers clean, he eyed her sugar smeared thumb and finger with a hungry gaze. He captured her wrist gently and raised them to his lips. She laughed as he removed the mess from her skin as well.

Danielle tossed the bouquet not caring who caught it, but was pleased to see that it was her friend, Mandy, who did. The smile on Mandy’s face told Danielle that her friend was ironically pleased with the idea.

Ethan looked just as hungry to remove the garter with his teeth as when he’d eyed her cake-covered fingers. Danielle was too embarrassed by that to even notice which man caught it.

When her girlfriends from Colorado smothered her with hugs, she lipped a “thank you” to Ethan just as he was wrangled into a conversation with her mother that, it seemed, he wasn’t fully interested in, but he was being polite and listening regardless.

“Oh, D’, we’re so happy for you,” Lindsey said.

“Yeah, but does this mean you’re not coming back to Colorado?” asked Mandy.

“No, I’ll be back. Ethan bought a home there too. It isn’t far from my parent’s.”

“Really? You really did manage to snag a guy with money.” Mandy bumped her hip into Danielle’s.

Danielle blushed. “He does all right for himself,” she said, trying to sound modest, and added, “I plan to sell paintings to make my own money.”

“But you don’t need to.”

“Actually I think I do need to.” She lifted her hands to her chest. “For me. I’d like to have funds that are mine and not all his.”

“Good for you. Because I think I’d just take advantage of what he has. Does he have any brothers?” Lindsey asked, not hiding the fact that she was eyeing Ethan’s backside right in front of her.

“I’m afraid not,” Danielle replied. “And quit ogling my man, would you? I’m standing right here.”

Lindsey winked, and of course Danielle knew her good friend was only teasing, as she frequently did. “Congratulation’s, D’, I’m really happy for you.”

“Thanks, Lind,” she replied, and hugged her friend.

“How about a hug for your one and only?” a male voice said from behind her, and she knew that voice as well as any.

She threw herself into his arms. He lifted her feet from the ground, gave her a spin, and a big kiss on the cheek.

“This had better be your one and only brother, Danielle, or I’m afraid I’m going to have to deck this bloke with his hands on my bride,” Ethan said, going for a menacing tone.

She and her brother, James, laughed and then James set her feet on the ground, but didn’t release his hold. “You’d better take care of my sister, or I’ll have to smash your British face in.”

A shadow passed over Ethan’s jovial expression, and Danielle knew it was because he was still troubled by the fact that he couldn’t protect her by himself any longer. She watched his face darken further as three guards, posing as his family, passed by, inadvertently reminding him of his weakness. Her friends and family had no idea that pretty much all of the guests on Ethan’s side of the family were really just their security detail. They’d pumped up their guard just for the wedding. Clearly worried that Celeste and Lucas could have heard about it and then attempt something, just as Celeste had at the shower.

Ethan laughed, and then clapped his new brother-in-law on the back, rather roughly. She understood he was really just attempting to cover up what she knew was secretly irritating him.

“Mind if I dance with the bride?” Danielle’s father asked having no idea that he’d just unwittingly broken up the rising tension.

“Be my guest,” Ethan said. His tone sounded much more gracious than the tight line of his lips told her he was feeling. Twisting to face her, he said, “I’m going to get something to eat. So if you need me, that’s where I’ll be, darling wife.”

With the way he breathed the new endearment, Danielle’s heart melted, and she wanted to follow him instead of waltzing with her dad, but succumbed to her father’s wishes when he took her hand and began leading her to the dance floor.

Still lost in what felt like a fantasy dream world, she danced with Dad, but kept her eyes on her new husband, hoping he was okay. He seemed all right, if she was correctly interpreting the grin on his face as he piled his plate with a little of everything he’d chosen to be served at the reception. It seemed Ethan was a comfort eater….

After her father and then her brother had finished guiding her through two songs, she made her way back to Ethan, and then had to smile because he was emitting his usual happy hum while he ate.

“How are you? Are you doing all right?” she asked, sitting down next to him at the table he was seated at.

“I’m brilliant. Elated. Why do you ask?”

“I thought my brother’s comment upset you.”

Ethan’s eyes shifted to the guards standing within a few feet of them, pretending to not be guards. “It didn’t.” He paused, considering his fork as if the flatware was suddenly highly fascinating, then said, “Oh, very well, it did trouble me … a bit. However, it is what it is. We can’t change it, and I don’t want to. I like what we have here, Danielle. I’d make the same choice if I had to do it over. If I hadn’t, I would have—”

Ended my life. “I remember.”

“It’s better this way. I’m sticking by my decision.” He bit into an hors d’oeuvre, putting a momentary end to the conversation.

“How’s the food?” she asked, deciding to change the subject all together.

“Excellent,” he answered while loading a mouthful of his chocolate wedding cake onto his fork. “And that’s another reason why I wouldn’t change things.” He slid the cake into his mouth and moaned with pleasure.

The sudden movement of many shadows moving quickly through the woods drew her attention and then her eyes widened. Her hand landed on Ethan’s. He followed her riveted gaze and she felt him tense as well. “What’s happening?”

The guards nearest to them moved together to block their view, or hide them. She didn’t know which it was, or perhaps it was both. She watched as the tallest man lifted his hand to his ear while he listened, then nodded. He looked at them and said softly, “Don’t worry, they’ve handled it.”

“Handled what?” Danielle asked.

After a sharp shake of his head, Danielle realized the guard wouldn’t tell them any more than that. Panic rolled through her veins, chilling her. All of her friends and family were here. How could they protect them all? “Was this a mistake?”

Ethan didn’t look completely convinced as he offered words of comfort. “It should be fine. I made sure that all of your friends and family were in a hotel owned by one of Beon’s closest friends. And the security there is tight. Plus some of them go home tonight, while the rest leave tomorrow morning.”

Attempting to distract her, she suspected, Ethan added, “Dance with me.” Actually it was more like a command. He stood and tugged her to her feet as well, then enveloped her in his arms and nudged her toward the dance floor again.

“But—”

“Shhh…” he muttered, tightening his hold and lifting her feet from the ground. “Even if immortals try to harm us or your family, other immortals are protecting all of us just as fiercely. Please, darling, this is our day; I want you to enjoy it. In fact, I insist that you enjoy it.”

Submitting to his request, Danielle dropped her head onto Ethan’s shoulder as he lowered her feet and spun her onto the dance floor.

They swayed to the music and then visited with their guests until the clouds became pink and gilded with the glow of sunset.

And with so many vampires present, it was time for the party to end. Ethan promptly said his goodbyes, swept Danielle into his arms, and made for the front door of their new home.

“Ethan, I was mid-sentence into a conversation with my aunt.”

“I’m sure she understands…” he said, a little too seductively

Danielle’s cheeks grew hot at that.

“Are we starting the honeymoon now?” she asked as he glided over the threshold, and kicked the door shut.

While he then bounded up the stairs to their master suite, she watched over his shoulder as a large vampire set the security system to arm after he then turned the lock and left.

“Did you plan on waiting, Danielle? Because I honestly think I’ve waited long enough.”

“But, everyone is still here.”

“They’ll be gone soon enough. You know my ‘relatives’ need to leave now, though I’m certain many will remain within the forest. Just in case.”

“Are we safe?” She kind of didn’t feel safe.

“With a security system on the house, and numerous knights and Highlanders surrounding us, I think we’re quite safe.”

Oh, she mused, that big one must have been one of the Scots.

As he ascended the last few steps, Ethan’s eyes smoldered like the glowing remains of a blue fire, and she couldn’t find breath to say another word as he silently set her down in their bedroom. Keeping his gaze locked with hers, he led her, while he walked backward to the vanity. He moved behind her and turned her so she was facing the mirror. Then, almost reverently, he began removing her tiara, and veil, and then the scores of hairpins holding her style in place. Which took a while…. “My word, they put a lot of pins in your hair,” he complained as he slid another one free and dropped it into the growing pile on her vanity.

As he worked, and her hair dropped curl by curl around her shoulders, she observed herself with him in the mirror hung above her vanity. She liked what she saw there: the joy on his face, the peace on her own. It was right. It looked as right as it felt.

When he finally finished, she turned to him, shoved his jacket off his shoulders, and began working his tie loose. “Just wait till you start undoing the buttons on this dress,” she teased, knowing there were many little pearl buttons running the length of her bodice. It had taken a long time getting into it, so she wondered how long it was going to take him to get her out of it.

Ethan grinned like a fallen angel. “I’m not easily intimidated by sixteen tiny buttons.” However, when he began the task, his golden brows drew together and he cursed Jean Claude.

With his eyes fixed over her shoulder into the glass, he fought with the fastenings of her gown as she released the buttons on his shirt and then pushed the fabric over his thick shoulders, then biceps, then over his roped forearms and finally off his hands when he paused in his task. Danielle remembered seeing his naked chest the night of the ball, but to actually be able to touch the contours of his sculpted torso was pure heaven, and even better than she’d imagined.

“You’re beautiful, Danielle.”

“I was thinking the same thing about you,” she murmured in reply as her fingers traveled the ridges of his form.

Catching her chin with one finger, Ethan whispered, “I’ve fantasized about seeing you like this for far too long.” Ethan purred the words as her clothing slid down the length of her body and pooled at her feet. The remainder of his attire joined hers on the floor. And when the last scrap of lace she’d been wearing landed on the pile, Ethan smiled and trailed a finger along her necklace, but left it on.

Danielle swallowed, trying not to show how bashful she was feeling at the moment. She certainly didn’t have the guts to turn around again and see them naked together. So she ignored the fact that there was a mirror behind her, however, Ethan didn’t. She blushed profusely when she notice his gaze glide hungrily past her shoulder.

“You have?” she asked, nearly breathless.

“Haven’t you?” he asked, meeting her gaze again. His hand slid across the exposed flesh that he’d just spied in the mirror, and then he began to pepper her face and neck with soft kisses.

“Well, yes,” she confessed with a shaky voice as his palms moved along her arms. “Many times.”

“Let’s make this dream a reality, my darling wife. Let’s make a memory to add to our forgotten past.”

Her stomach twisted deliciously when he called her his wife again, and she fixed her gaze on his. That Ethan she knew before this life was there, as always.... But he didn’t let her reply because he then attacked her mouth with a blazing kiss that was all tongue and moving lips. As his mouth moved over hers, his hands landed on her hips as he lifted her from the pile of fabric of her dress, and then began backing her toward the bed.

As her head swam with the passion of it, she remembered her relatives and worried that they were still within hearing range. Isolation wasn’t something they’d been allowed for so long, she was almost afraid to relax. “Are you sure we’re alone?” she managed to sneak in when they paused to take a breath.

“I’m certain many of the guards are still here, but they will give us privacy, and Beon told me that he planned to send the family back to their hotel.” He reached down to tug the sheets aside, and then lowered her onto the bed, following to cover her with his warmth.

Ethan pushed up onto his elbows so she could breathe and then proceeded to kiss her, touch her, and love her as she’d wanted him to for many long months.

She returned his heated ministrations with matching ardor as she clung to him, and got to know him in a way that she never had before. He took his time about it, ever the patient man. And it was hard to see how he could be so patient in this, when her heart was racing, and her head was nearly spinning. Danielle became much more than smitten with Ethan. She was lost in him.

With careful hands he caressed and with velvet lips he kissed her to the point he’d stoked her passion so fiercely she didn’t comprehend the purpose behind it until much later. Until after…. Only then did she understand that he’d conjured up so much need and want within her that any fear of discomfort was forgotten. And she realized that if they hadn’t waited she couldn’t have had the regency-romance-type of lovemaking she’d always wanted. It might not have been as magical and as soul-touching either.

She also grew to understand that, for him, this had never been simply about consummation, but showing her how much he truly cherished her. He’d loved her with more than his body, more than his heart, more than even his soul. With every well placed stroke of his fingers and every gentle brush of his mouth over her flesh he’d proven it. He’d managed to caress undeniable proof of his love and devotion into her heart.

Ethan Deveroux fulfilled her secret fantasies in ways she’d never imagined possible and deep gratitude swept over her soul. To say she was overwhelmed was an understatement. The tenderness of it, the deep, unquenchable emotion of it seized around her heart and wrenched tears from her eyes.

Why am I crying now? Danielle asked herself as she lay curled in the cradle of Ethan’s arms with her head resting on his chest, her fingers still tracing the ridges of his muscles. She watched them react to her touch, listened as his breathing returned to a normal ebb and flow, as his racing heart settled, and then answered her own question…. Because it was so beautiful, and he was so gentle, and thoughtful, and loving. She took a breath, noting how it trembled.

He tugged her up higher on his chest, gently cradled her jaw, and aligned his gaze with hers. Her necklace draped down from her neck to his chest. Danielle knew he was trying to read her and probably wondered where the tears were coming from. Visibly he tracked a droplet as is tumbled over the edge of her cheek before catching it with his thumb. “How do you feel?” he asked, with a flicker of worry in his eyes.

“I’m fine.”

“Just fine?” Ethan blinked like maybe he was slightly offended.

Understanding that might have been due to some male pride, she said, “I mean I’m perfect. Thanks for...”

An eyebrow arched. “For?” he prompted.

“Um, that thing you did—those things you did.”

A slow proud grin stretched his lips as he tangled his fingers into her hair, and took her captive with another scorching kiss. When he released her, they snuggled for a long while and then Ethan spoke again, “We need to get ready to leave now. Our guards should be ready to escort us to our honeymoon suite.”

“Where are we going?”

“Back to Paris.”

“I liked Paris.”

“I knew you would.”

 

* * * * *

In Paris they stayed at the Le Meurice Hotel again. But this time was immensely different from her bridal shower and bachelorette party. Ethan led the way into their suite pulling their luggage behind him. “Wow, this is nice,” she said, wondering how much it cost.

Danielle left her carry-on next to her suitcase and explored the rest of it. It was three rooms divided by ornate archways and beams that had been draped with rich, pastel fabrics. Each room was lit with a crystal chandelier in the center. The first had a sofa, a table, a desk and a large entertainment center. Her fingers explored the textured white fabric of the comforter on the bed as she made her way to the elegant bathroom at the end of it all. And the smell of fresh flowers surrounded her as Ethan came up behind her. Turning she saw he held a vase filled with roses and peonies. “For you,” he said.

Smiling, she took them, but before she could thank him, he pressed a candy against her lips from the box of chocolates he held in his other hand. She caught the morsel between her teeth and chewed. A mixture of rich chocolate and creamy caramel melted against her tongue. Of course he’d know what she liked best. “Thank you,” she said, moving to set the flowers on the table in front of the sofa.

He gathered two more candies, dropped the box next to the flowers and curled one arm around her waist. “Shall we explore the city?”

“Yes,” she said, eating the next chocolate he offered and went with him, secretly wondering if they shouldn’t just stay ... where guards couldn’t follow them.

Ethan showed her how romantic that city can be, the side of Paris that she hadn’t seen with the ladies, and she was glad he’d dragged her out. She’d heard about the reputation the French city held, and after spending two weeks with her new husband there, she would have to agree. Even while being followed constantly by a troop of men.

“Can we go dancing? Please?” Danielle asked after a day of shopping at a Paris flea market.

He eyed the guard standing closest, tugged her to the left to make sure they remained out of hearing range, which was easy to do because the sun hadn’t set yet, and whispered, “If we ask, I’m certain they’ll halt us.”

“But it’s our honeymoon…”

“Exactly. It’s easier to gain forgiveness than it is permission.”

“Are you suggesting we sneak away?”

“No. I’m saying we just go, let them follow, and if they stop us, well, then they stop us.”

They stuffed their purchases into the trunk of their rental car and then acted like they were just going on a walk of the city just before the sunset. Danielle’s fingers tightened around Ethan’s as she hoped they’d get away with this before the sun finally sank below the horizon and the guards forced them to return to the hotel. When they got to the club and dashed inside, the guards didn’t have time to stop them and because of that it seemed like they decided to allow it for now.

With modern music pounding, and colored lights sweeping, Ethan drew her into his hold with a hand settling at her waist. He grinned mischievously, using his body to sweep her into a waltz.

Danielle pinched her brows together. A waltz? Then as she listened to the melody, she realized that it was, indeed, a waltz, and laughed. “Aren’t we supposed to be undulating like everyone else in this club?” She passed her eyes around the dance floor, watching as other couples twisted suggestively at each other, and remembered how he’d danced that first time, way back when, at The Ministry of Sound. “I know you can do it.”

Ethan tugged her closer and buried his face into her neck, brushed his mouth up to her ear, and then he whispered, “Does this help?”

It helped to raise goose bumps on her flesh. “I liked watching you dance. Come on, let me see that again.”

His smile heated as he released her, and did just that.

Her gaze shifted from the piercing quality of his blue eyes, from the handsome line of his straight nose, from the poetic twist of his full lips, until it settled onto his solid shoulders, which shifted under his tight t-shirt as he moved. When they’d first danced, he’d been wearing a sweater which hid what he displayed tonight. Muscles rippled and bunched, then relaxed under the thin cotton. The overall effect was more alluring than even his provocative moves.

Continuing through several more songs, she realized she didn’t want the evening to ever end. Then she felt someone curve strong fingers around her upper arm, and tug her away from Ethan.

“Hey!” But it wasn’t one of the guards who’d interrupted them; it was most definitely—two vampires, two strangers.

“Miss Darcey, might we trouble you with a curing bite?”

“Mrs. Deveroux,” Ethan corrected fiercely, “will not be biting you.” Ethan wrenched a business card from his wallet and shoved it toward the man who held her arm in his hand. “Sir, you may call Beon, and he will arrange something for you.”

Ethan’s elegant, though dangerous, reply was not accepted well. One of them launched toward Ethan, while the other jerked her arm, and she winced. It felt like he might actually rip it from the socket. But it only took a second or two for their protectors to respond. She and Ethan were bodily removed from the club by their guards—ruffled, and disappointed, but unharmed. This incident forced the security detail to move in closer, and again, their freedoms were restricted.

Danielle tried to ignore the guards as she and Ethan dined in a French restaurant called L’Amroisie, though it was getting difficult to do that, especially because they didn’t hide what they were doing. She’d noted the looks she and Ethan got, and knew the other patrons were probably wondering who they were, and why they needed a pack of hulking men hovering over them. The maitre d’ was appalled at first, and had to be paid off to even permit it.

She’d allowed Ethan to order, since the menu was in French. But, as usual, wasn’t disappointed with what he’d selected for her. She’d luxuriated in a nine course, culinary adventure of many things she didn’t know how to pronounce. She recognized the salmon, and the lobster, and the artichokes, but had never eaten, or even seen, something Ethan called, truffles. Which he explained was an expensive type of mushroom.

“Ready for dessert?” Ethan asked, clearly eager for the final act in this dance of fine cuisine. She could see that he was in pure heaven.

“I’m not sure anything else will fit.”

“Make if fit, darling.”

“This is almost painful.”

“Oh, but it’s so worth it.”

“We’ll need to go back to our room after this. I won’t be able to move.” She glanced toward the wall of guards lingering nearby. “And maybe they’ll back off enough for us to actually feel like we’re alone,” she whispered, and then winced when she realized the guard on the right heard that, and smirked.

The man responded to her comment. “I’m afraid you are correct, Mrs. Deveroux. I’m getting reports that more” –he coughed into his fist— “are looking to have a word with you. Avoiding the nightlife and going to your suite would be advisable for tonight.”

She was speechless, but Ethan didn’t hesitate in following the suggestion—well, after he’d finished off his dessert, he raised one arm and said, “The bill please.”

 

* * * * *

It was a little bit of an improvement to be in their hotel room, even though she knew the men still manned the doors.

Focusing on each other rather than the vampires standing guard, they spent the evening watching black and white movies, munching on Ethan’s favorite movie snack, popcorn, and talking.

She leaned against his chest and listened to his pumping heart and gentle breathing as the credits rolled by. They may not have freedom, but at least the privacy remained.

Ethan coaxed a lock of her hair around his finger, exploring the texture. The look in his eyes told her what he wanted without him uttering a single word.

But movement caught her attention as a tall shadow shifted outside the balcony door and she worried that perhaps they didn’t have as much privacy as she’d thought. “Can they hear us?”

He exhaled. “It’s after dark…. I’m afraid they can hear every breath we take.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I was wrong. We’re not alone. We’re never alone.”

Ethan didn’t respond to that, and she figured it was because he didn’t know exactly what to say.

Danielle couldn’t take it. She lunged from the bed, stomped toward the glass door and slung it open. “Go! I want you out of hearing ra—” She choked on the last word when she recognized Cedric and Seth standing there.

The men stared at each other, never sparing a glance in her direction, and she realized that she’d just confronted two vampires with the curse fully surrounding them.

Nervous now, she glanced toward Ethan and then eased because he still appeared quite relaxed. He was lounging casually on the bed with his hands linked behind his head and his long legs stretched out over the blankets. He was watching her curiously, most likely wondering how this would work out.

Cedric said to Seth, “You’re—”

“Right, I’m the adult,” Seth responded, clearly irritated, except with Cedric and not her. He turned to address Danielle, but kept his eyes averted. “We’ll go, but we’ll be back.”

“And what about the men at the other door?”

“I’ll talk to them. We can maintain a certain distance, Danielle, but not for long. Use your time wisely.”

Oh yeah, that really helped to set the mood, she mused, and pouted.

“Well, that got rid of them,” Ethan said as she rejoined him.

“Yeah, but now I’m distracted.”

Ethan chuckled, leaned upright, directed her to rest her head on his lap, and proceeded to tickle her face with soft touches.

“Are you trying to make me fall asleep?” Because this could usually do the trick.

“Definitely not! There will be no sleeping on our honeymoon.” With that he gifted her with a wicked grin. His finger trailed along the bridge of her nose, over the tip, down to her top lip, then over the bottom, then to her chin and neck and….

“But when you do this—”

“I’m merely attempting to help you unwind.” He bent closer and then blew into her face.

She reacted as she knew he expected and drew it into her lungs with a long and languid pull. Her eyes rolled and slid shut. She felt herself unraveling just as she always did when he touched her like this, and then tantalized her with his seductive breath. She was besotted by him, and by his scent, all over again. And the spell he cast was more potent than any vampire magic before it. “Ah, yes, that relaxes me.” Could he even understand what she’d just slurred?

“Too much?”

“Never too much.”

He fanned another breath across her face. “Mmm,” she murmured. Inside and out she hummed, every nerve ending buzzed. And then his clever hands continued his gentle caress which was more thorough than it had been before they’d married. Had she thought it was this staggering before?

Tenderness burned in his gaze as he rubbed his thumb over her cheek and his breath surrounded her. He wasn’t intentionally puffing his scent into her face the entire time they made love, but their closeness made it inevitable.

Curling up under the covers with him as they settled and drifted toward sleep, she noticed them through her fringe of lashes … the shadows had returned.

And again, privacy was whisked away.