STORY EXCERPT

High above the Jones house, on clouds that only the most faith-filled eye could see, two cherubic elderly sisters stopped their knitting, closed their eyes, and inhaled deeply.

“Did you feel that, sister?”

“I did. I surely did.”

“Oh, doesn’t it feel wonderful? It’s been so long since I’ve felt this much magic humming through my blood.”

“Oh my, it’s enough to make you blush, isn’t it? And so unexpected, too!”

“Quickly, Gwendolyn, the books!”

Each used a knitting needle as a magic wand, conjuring books to float in the air before them.

“Oh my,” Eugenia, the eldest of the pair, said as she perused her book. “I was going to say how nice it was to have someone over the age of five believe in us. She certainly is over five, isn’t she? Ah, well. Beggars can’t be choosers, I suppose.” She looked over to where her sister was using her knitting needle to flip through page after page in her book. “So, Gwendolyn, any handsome princes available?”

“Ahh, not exactly,” Gwendolyn replied. She stopped turning pages and read. “This could be promising. But honestly, sister, I have no idea whatsoever how to accomplish this in these modern times. Pumpkins and mice aside, it is a different world these days.”

“It is. Yes, it is indeed.” Eugenia vanished her own book, so she could turn her attention back to the one Gwendolyn floated over to her. “But not to worry. While you’ve been taking your weekly aerobics class, I’ve been watching television. And I know exactly what to do! Well, look at this.” She smiled. “Do you know, we have much more magic than we need for just one happy-ever-after. And this is not only promising, it’s perfect. Look, one of them is already there. ”

“I was thinking that very same thing myself. Oh, Eugenia, it feels good to be needed again!”

“Yes, it does, doesn’t it? Now, we must not waste time. That poor woman isn’t getting any younger, you know.”

In a cloud of sparkles and rose petals, the two sisters, fairy godmothers both, vanished into thin air.

And so our tale begins. Once upon a time…

// // // // // // // // // // // // // // //

There she stood, waiting for him.

Philip took a moment to simply look at her. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

But he craved her above all others.

He knew she hadn’t heard him drive in, for he’d come the back way. But she sensed his presence now. Slowly, she turned to face him.

He’d been wrong. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Saying nothing, he went to her. His gaze locked with hers, and he took her hands and brought them to his lips. “I am so very glad you’re here.”

“I want to be here. With you. But…”

“Shhh. You don’t have to tell me you’re nervous. I can feel you trembling. If you’ve changed your mind, tell me now. I’ll understand. I may go and bang my head against a tree, but I will understand.”

Her laughter wasn’t as full as it might have been, but she did laugh. “I haven’t changed my mind. I’d decided that this time, I would be the seducer. Only, I’ve just realized I don’t know how.”

“Poor Kate,” he said softly, placing her hands on his shoulders, freeing his own hands to wander to her hips. He squeezed, gently, and urged her closer. He wondered if she knew how much she’d just revealed to him? Yes, she had given birth, but in many ways she remained virginal. And therefore deserving of every bit of care and tenderness he could give her.

“I’ve never known this urgency before. I looked up, only a few short days ago, and saw you for the first time. Something almost magical happened at that moment. Oh yes, I know you don’t believe in magic. But I do.”

“Philip, I don’t need flowery words.”

She lacked belief in far more than magic and knights in shining armor. She didn’t believe in her own appeal, and she didn’t trust his words. He couldn't blame her. She'd believed once and paid for it.

 He changed his mind. If the bastard who hurt her so badly ever did show up in Boisdemer, beheading wasn’t out of the question after all.

He put away the sparking rage that burned in him on her behalf. It had no place here. She faced him with such a troubled expression, he bent to place a gentle kiss on her furrowed brow.

“Mon cherie, I know. Perhaps I need the flowery words.” He knew the thoughts in her head. She wanted to keep things simple. She thought this would be an uncomplicated vacation fling. He didn’t doubt that her heart held far more for him than she wanted to admit. He didn’t need to hear her tell him right now. He was a patient man. At least when it came to getting her to see the sweet light of reason.

But he’d run out of patience waiting to have her.

Moving quickly, he scooped her into his arms, laughing when she screamed and threw her arms around his neck as if to save herself from being dropped.

She wasn’t heavy, and it wasn’t very far to his bedroom.

The sound of the door slamming still reverberated in the room when he stopped before the bed and slowly lowered her feet to the floor. There was light enough left in the day that he didn’t bother with the bedside lamp. Instead, he ran his hands through her hair, cupped her head, and drew her into his kiss.

He had already become addicted to the taste of her, the hot sultry flavor he knew his body could never live without again. Slowly, ever so slowly, he explored her mouth. Her hands grabbed his wrists and held on even as her tongue met and danced with his. Sensuous, erotic, the wet glide ignited tiny sparks in his blood. Her arms moved up to twine around his neck, and he complied with her unspoken request for more. His hands smoothed down her back to her bottom and pulled her closer.

He knew the strength left her knees as he continued tasting her. Not sure of his own strength, he weaned his lips from hers to sit on the edge of the bed then gently pulled her to stand between his legs.

Without speaking, he tugged her T-shirt out of her shorts. The flesh of her belly was warm and soft and smooth. Loving the touch of her under his hands, he caressed her. Then stripped the shirt from her completely.

She gasped, and he couldn’t help but smile. “I’m trying so damn hard to be gentle, cherie. But I want you so bloody badly.”

“You don’t have to be gentle. It’s not like this is my first time.”

He knew differently. He took a moment to admire the plain cotton bra that supported and concealed her pretty breasts. He found the simple garment more alluring than the finest lace. But it had to go. Reaching behind her, he released the catch in one smooth move.

Her naked breasts captivated him, prettily plump with delectable pink nipples. Unable to resist, he opened his mouth and drew one in. It pebbled and elongated, inviting him to have more. He was lost.

“Philip!”

Her fingers combed through his hair, holding him close. Her moans told him how much she liked his actions. His hands shaped her bottom then, in one fluid move, stripped the shorts and panties down her legs. Not willing to give her a moment to think, he slipped to his knees and set his mouth on her.