Page 24 of Pure Magic
His warm lips press against my shoulder. “Many men might do exactly as you surmise, Beth. I don’t know what happened to your father, and I don’t know why your lover left you behind. I can’t fathom a man walking away from you, because I’ll only go if you command it.”
Why would I tell him to go? “And am I likely to do that, Adam?”
“I don’t know.” He lets out a long sigh.
There are many questions to ask, but I don’t want the answers tonight. I want to feel safe and secure in Adam’s arms, even if it’s all an illusion. I close my eyes. “If I were to become with child, I would be very happy, regardless of what you did or how bad my temper became.”
Images of dark-haired babies with bright-blue eyes like Adam’s and Mother’s roll through my head, and I relax against him.
“May I stay and hold you tonight?” He brushes my hair back from my face and kisses my jaw just in front of my ear.
“If you wish.”
When I wake, the moon has crossed to the other side of the house, and the room is dark. Yet, there is no mistaking the man in my bed. I’m strewn across his chest, which rises and falls slow and steady.
After untangling my legs from his, I sit on the edge of the bed. My body is deliciously sore from a night of lovemaking. I light the lamp by my bed. At my small vanity, my reflection is that of a wanton with wild hair and eyes filled with lust. I hardly recognize myself as I take the brush and start untangling my wild curls.
“It’s early.” The sheets rustle as he sits behind me, takes the brush and takes over my haircare.
It’s lovely to have someone brush my hair. Far too indulgent, but I’m not strong enough to grab the brush away. “I always rise before everyone else. It gives me time to meditate on Goddess and settle my magic before everyone begins asking for my time.”
“I can see where that would be your only time alone. Am I disturbing your routine?” He works gently through the last knot and slides the soft bristles along my scalp and through my hair.
A satisfied sigh pushes up from my chest, and my eyes close while I enjoy being pampered. “You are, but it does not follow that the disturbance is unwelcome.”
Pushing my hair to one side, he kisses my neck at the shoulder, again higher, and then behind my ear. “I’m happy to hear that.” He hands me my brush. “I have never had a better night, Beth. You’re wonderful.”
I meet his gaze in the mirror. “Then you don’t feel our coming together has sated any foolish desires?”
His warm, low laughter shoots delight between my legs. “Sated is the last word I shall ever use when describing my want of you.” His eyes grow serious, and his voice dips lower, as if someone speaks through him. “You and I are connected, though how or why, I can’t say. Goddess brought us together. Goddess wills our paths merge. If evil be known, it will be known, but apart, there will be no peace.” He blinks and looks around before shaking his head. “What just happened?”
Turning to face him, I cup his cheek. “Do you remember what you said?”
“Yes, but not as one does after making a speech. It’s more like remembering a dream.”
I kiss his cheek. “I think Goddess spoke through you.”
Chapter
Eight
ADAM
Days later, Goddess’s words still roll through my head. Are our lives manipulated by a deity, or is there a grand plan, and Goddess is only facilitating the connections? It shouldn’t matter, though I’d like to think my feelings for Sara Beth are my own.
Livy Walters sits beside me where I’m thinking on her front steps. “What has put that frown on your handsome face, Mr. MacNab?”
“I’m pondering fate versus free choice.” It’s easier to just be honest most of the time. If the person asks, they have to deal with the answer.
She cocks her head, and a bit of unwashed hair falls from her bun. “Deep thought for a Friday afternoon. Why not think about plans with your lady for the week’s end?”
I shrug. “That would be more pleasant if the lady considered herself mine, and I had any right to claim her. As it is, I’m a poor magician making my way across this grand island. What would a lady like Sara Beth Ware want with me?”
Laughing, Livy slaps my back. “There is no rhyme nor reason for why a person wants another. At your age, you should know that. As for fate and choice, I’ve always thought life was a mix of both. The fates push us in one direction or the other, but it’s up to us to take the path.”
“What if the path fate chooses is hard or even deadly?”
Livy is the last person in England I expected to have a meaningful conversation with. Yet, her insight so far is more reasonable than my own worries.
