Page 16 of Serenity & the Hermit
It’s then that I bring my mouth to hers and kiss her long and slow, cradling her cheek in my hand as my tongue pushes past her lips and she sighs against me, her warm body melding against my chest in a way that makes me promise to always do right by her and never let her go.
“Ahem,” a male voice interrupts, causing us to break the kiss and turn toward the sound.
“Oh. Hey, Kellen,” I say to the oldest of my cousins as he stands with his wife—the founder of the soulwink theory—Jade.
“Hey yourself, cousin,” he booms with a grin. “My wife and I hear there’s a little soulwinking going on in this part of the valley. Jade wanted to see it with her own eyes, and since I’m not the kind of man to deny his wife anything, here we are.”
A grin takes over as I hold my hand out to greet him. “My first instinct was to refute it, but the fight in me was short lived. I’d like to introduce you both to my heart. This is Serenity.”
I gesture toward the gorgeous brunette by my side as I continue to beam, my eyes only for her.
“You broke her already?” Jade exclaims as her eyes move over Serenity’s sling.
“He broke me to begin with,” Serenity says. “But he’s very quickly putting me together with a heck of a lot of love and care.”
“As he should,” Kellen says with a chuckle. “But if you need anything. Anything at all. You be sure to sing out and any one of us Valentines will come runnin’. We always take care of our own.”
“That’s so very kind of you,” Serenity says. “I’m truly so overwhelmed by how gracious you’ve all been to a newcomer.”
“Newcomer?” Jade laughs. “Oh, honey. We were all newcomers until a Valentine claimed us as his own. It’s the magic of the soulwink. Something I’m more than happy to explain to you at our next cocktail night. Tell me, what size jacket do you wear?”
“Oh, here we go,” Kellen muses, watching his wife steer Serenity away from my side and over to the rest of the Valentine wives. There’s quite a group of them now. “You’ll won’t get her back for hours.”
“As long as she comes home to me at the end of every day, I’ve no struggle with her havin’ her fun,” I say, turning to roll up some of the spare yoga mats and placing them in the tub for cleaning.
“You’ve fallen pretty hard then, huh?”
I glance up at him and nod. “I feel like a different man. Like, I woke up yesterday in a dark and dreary world and then Serenity came along and flicked all the lights on. She’s special.”
“I felt the same about Jade. And I dare say you’ll find Dylan was the same with Millie, even though he fought his attraction to her harder than most.”
“Ah, that’s just because his demons were heavier than yours or mine. I live in the mountain alone because I like it. He was living up there as penance for something that wasn’t even his fault.”
“Love brings light, though. Right?”
“It certainly provides the light that sees us through. I’m glad he and Millie are happy together. You know, Serenity had some of their mugs at her place. Seems she connected with our family before she even knew she belonged.”
“If Millie had her way, the entire world would be dotted with sunflowers. She likes to spread joy.”
“I think she and Serenity will get along well then,” I say, glancing over to where the two women converse within the larger group, getting to know each other.
“You gonna follow tradition and marry her soon?” Kellen asks, causing me to look back up at him before I stand and dust off my hands.
“Maybe,” I say, shifting my gaze back to Serenity while picturing her walking down that aisle and promising herself to me till death do us part. “I sure as hell don’t plan on letting her go.”
“Then we should probably make a move so you two can spend a little more time getting to know each other,” he says. “It was nice to see you, cousin. Being in town and getting back into your training looks good on you. Love looks good on you.”
“Thanks,” I say, slapping him on the back as we walk out of the studio and into the foyer with the others. “It feels good too.”
SERENITY
“You have to tell me how you know so much about yoga,” I say, leaning against the warmth of Nelson’s chest as we sit together in my oversized bathtub, the water fragrant and bubbly around us.
“You don’t believe I learned all I know from you last night?” I can hear the smile in his voice as he speaks softly near my ear.
“No.” I giggle. “You’re far too fluid. Plus, you already knew the names of all the poses so…”
“Ah, guess I’m busted then,” he says, taking one of my hands between his and flattening them, palm to palm. I feel so tiny enveloped in this giant of a man, which seems almost incomprehensible to me. I’ve never felt small in all my life. “When I was younger, I used to do competitive rock climbing. Yoga was a big part of keeping us limber.”
