Page 40 of City of Love

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “So, on the rare occasion someone does come to stay permanently, there’s a process they go through to allow their vibratory frequencies to make a permanent shift.” He touched the middle C key on the piano and it rang out. “It’s as if your world’s song is played in the key of C, and ours in G. For someone to stay here, we need to change the key in which their whole life sings.”

She leaned her head against his shoulder. “That’s a beautiful analogy.”

They sat like that for a while, his hand grazing up and down the side of her body, the edge of his thumb just brushing the swell of her breast, before he took her hand and they rose from the bench.

Bringing her up against him, he leaned back against the piano, and she titled her head back as he nibbled her jaw line, his hands began exploring her figure, slipping under her shirt to feel the fullness of her breasts, the dip of her waist, the rise of her hips. His world’s heightened effect on her senses were in full play now, the movement of his hands on her body creating an illusion of physical tracers—a rippling sensation that lingered for long moments after his hands had moved elsewhere.

And the feel of his hard shaft throbbing against her was like a kick drum to her already pulsing sex. She reached down to unbutton his riding breaches, sliding a hand in and pulling out his cock. The feel of his length and girth driving her all kinds of nuts. But it was Gideon who tipped his head back and groaned as she dropped to her knees in front of him, taking him into her mouth. The rumble of his moan moved through her like a physical touch.

“It’s like you know exactly what to do,” he managed to choke out behind gritted teeth. “Exactly how I like it.”

In fact, she did.

“I know what you like and what you want because I’m in your mind right now,” she said silently in his head. “I can feel what you feel, as if I were the one being touched.”

“Holy. Crap.”

“Your pleasure is also my pleasure,” she said. “When you come, babe… oh God… so will I.”

Apparently, there were some serious advantages to this telepathy neither of them had even thought of. More than a means to an awesome sex life, however, there was a sense of union, a oneness, that couples without this telepathy could never experience. A complete absence of loneliness, a complete knowing of the other. And she felt Gideon’s heart embrace hers with a vulnerability, and a ferocity, that she sensed was rocking him to the core.

Laughter from the hallway beyond the music room jerked them apart, and he let out a groan.

She looked up at him with a smile, her hands still gliding slowly up and down. “Would you like me to continue?” She switched to silent conversation. “I’d love to wait so I can hear you roar with abandon the first time you come for me. But a woman never lets her man suffer. So, you decide.” She let go and held her hands up. “Yes… or no?”

The noise Gideon made was somewhere between a laugh and a moan, but he shook his head and shoved himself back into his breaches.

Lexi stood, groaning and giggling as she did her own little dance in her pants to try to ease the fire she felt.

Gideon gripped the edge of the piano and took some deep breaths. “We should get out of here and get some fresh air, maybe a cold cider. To pour on our laps.”

Lexi stretched in the sun as they stepped back outside. “So, you told me how the vibrations work. Your beautiful story about our universes playing in different keys. But how does it happen? How does one get re-tuned?”

He shuddered at the question, and prayed she didn’t feel it. How would he even begin to tell her how painful and risky the process could be? Could he ever ask it of her? There was no way he could move to her world. His body couldn’t take the sensory onslaught and the eventual total deterioration.

“Let’s take a walk and get that fresh air,” he said, taking her hand. “The views across the river are gorgeous from here. I can explain it to you as we stroll.”

They crossed the grounds, moving away from the crowd. “This four-hour time limit is mighty frustrating. How often can we extend my vibrations before there’s a problem?”

In truth, he had no idea how many times this could be repeated, or how frequently they could do it, before it began to have a deleterious effect on her. Roberto would know, but Gideon wasn’t sure he felt comfortable asking him just yet.

They reached a big oak tree and he pulled her in front of him, her back to his chest, and he set his chin on her head as they looked across the river. He took a deep breath and exhaled, the rush of air blowing a strand of her hair against his cheek. “Honestly, I just don’t know.”

She turned to face him, placing her hands on his upper arms. “I don’t mean to assume anything,” she said, color rising to her cheeks, “but this is hardly a normal… um… dating situation for me. If we continued to see each other, if we got closer…”

“No, you’re right to wonder about these things. Believe me, I’ve already made a few assumptions about us as well.” He ran his hand down the side of her face, tucking the wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “Just now in the music room, that was… did you feel…?”

She nodded, her smile soft and her eyes filled with light. “Yes, of course I did.” She turned her face into his palm and kissed it. “So then tell me about this transition process.” She quirked a half smile. “Just in case.”

He shook his head, his mouth going dry. Unsure of where to start.

Lexi studied him, obviously trying to understand his expression. He felt her mind reach out to his, and then pull back, probably not wanting to invade without invitation. “Tell me what’s got you so upset all of a sudden. I don’t need to be in your mind to feel your anxiety.”

“You’re right, sweetheart,” he said, taking her hands in his. “You deserve to know now, before things with us progress any further. The transition process, you should know that—”

His sentence was cut short by the sound of early fireworks exploding in the sky behind him, which was not surprising for the Fourth of July. He turned to look and together they watched the sky painted in sparks, reds and golds diffusing across the clouds like a neoclassical painting, and he knew they were both remembering her vision and were thankful she was there at that moment, safe in his world.

A smile on his face, he spun back to her, pulling her up against his chest, appreciating her presence there, safe in his arms. But his body suddenly moved too freely against hers. The delicious weight of her form pressed against his was becoming insubstantial.

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