Chapter 66
A Lifetime Of This
Ilay in bed staring at Karson. His tousled hair, his lips slightly parted as he drew in whisper fine breaths.
It was one of my favourite things to do, watch him while he slept.
Often in the morning I’d lay there, staring at him, my heart lurching with love for this beautiful man who I could hardly believe I got to share my life with.
I could wake like this every morning for the rest of my life and I’d never get sick of it.
He seemed to sense me staring. He opened his eyes.
We stared at each other, a softness in his gaze.
Sunlight spirited through the window. We’d stayed at Karson’s apartment. We mostly did—given Ethan’s hearing, our night-time activities were best served at his place rather than at home.
“Morning,” I murmured, reaching across to caress the side of his face. He pulled my fingers to his lips and kissed them. I took my hand away and rolled over to climb out.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He reached across my stomach, stopping my departure.
I twisted back. “I’m getting up to go for a run.”
“No, not today you are not, I have plans for you all day, Miss Williams. We’re going riding.” He propped himself up on an elbow and trailed a finger over my stomach.
“I would have thought we’d done enough of that last night.”
He rolled his eyes and smiled. “Not that kind of riding.”
I slid my leg over his hips, pushing his head back against the pillow. “Pity,” I teased, moving my lips to his neck and kissing it a few times.
He slapped my bare ass, hard. “Get dressed,” he growled, “or we’ll never get out of here.”
“Ouch.” I giggled and jumped up out of bed. “I’m having a shower, you might like to join me.”
“No, I might not. Shower and get dressed, Amelia. Now, please.”
By the time I’d showered and dressed. He was standing in jeans and a black t-shirt ready to go, helmet in one hand, backpack in the other. He tossed the helmet at me. “Put that on.”
Minutes later, we pulled out of the drive onto the road and headed through town, past home and further on.
I’d never been on a motorbike before. Nervous, I clung on tightly around his waist at first, but as we sailed along the roads I began to relax.
I felt a rush of freedom, an exhilaration that couldn’t compare with car travel.
I felt as if I was flying, like the machine disappeared and there was just Karson and I hovering above the road.
I held my arms out wide, feeling the air sail between my fingers; utterly thrilled and wildly happy.
All too soon we pulled off the main road and onto a wide dirt one that led through the forest into a large meadow, we bumped and rolled across the field and stopped by a stream under a huge oak tree.
I climbed off and pulled off the helmet, shaking my hair loose, running my hands through the flattened strands.
I looked around the spot he’d chosen. A stream burbled softly through the grassy banks, disappearing into the tree line in the distance. The edge of the stream was covered in a sea of purple and white flowers. Butterflies danced between them.
“It’s so pretty here.”
Karson was laying a red picnic rug down under the shade of a giant oak tree.
He glanced back. “I knew you’d like it. Would you please sit with me?
” He flicked his wrist to the rug. I found his old-school manners endearing, they’d slip in sometimes out of the blue.
It was a part of his unique charm I adored.
I sat down as he opened the picnic basket.
He poured a glass of champagne and handed it to me.
Never mind the early hour. He reached back into the basket and sat a bowl of strawberries between us, before sitting down and pouring another glass.
I picked up a strawberry and took a bite.
I’m not sure if I’d ever been as happy as I felt right there in that moment, seated on the grassy banks, no noise but the gentle burble of the stream, the birds singing back and forth to each other, with the man I loved.
We clinked glasses. I said, “To lazy days under a beautiful sky.” Which was better than cheers, but not as good as adding ‘with the man I love.’
He seemed to devour me with those eyes.“With the most beautiful woman in Church Heights.”
“Only in Church Heights?”
He fought back a smile. “Well, perhaps half of Two Peaks as well.”
I chuckled and took a sip of champagne. It was lightly fruited and mildly sweet, not a cheap one, I judged.
His smile turned to a frown, he sat down his glass, reaching across to hold my arm. “You are bruised again, Amelia.”
I had a purple mark across my forearm from Ethan’s training, it was par for course nowadays. I shrugged. “It’s fine.” He let go of my arm.
His eyes seemed to cloud over. I tossed the stalk off to the side.
“What’s wrong?”
He scowled. “Why did you ask Ethan to train you and not me? Is it because you are scared I might hurt you?”
I reeled back. It was ridiculous to me that he could assume such a thing.
“No, of course not.” He didn’t look entirely convinced. I reached across, grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “No, I never feel safer than when I am with you. I got on the wheel of death with you.”
Light found its way into his eyes. “Hardly the wheel of death.” After a few moments of quiet he added, “I notice you have not answered my question.”
To be fair, I had answered half of it. Sometimes when I trained with Ethan my temper would flair and I’d inadvertently use some of my witch skills.
I’d sent him flying in a burst of anger more than once.
Ethan too, wasn’t fond of my kind, I understood that, but I never felt judged for what I was with him.
Karson abhorred witches. The thought of constantly reminding him of the darkness that churned covertly inside me . . .
He waited patiently for my answer.
I cleared my throat and said, “Three reasons I can think of. The first one is your apartment doesn’t have a gym.”
“I have one we could use, and the second is?”
I thought for a moment on how to explain it. I sat my glass down and stood, moving off the rug. “Stand up.”
He looked up quizzically and then he leaped in one lithe motion to his feet.
I beckoned him forward with my finger.“Come closer.” He took one step and I threw a round house style kick at his thigh, it landed with a thump. He didn’t even attempt to block it, even though both of us knew he could have with childlike ease.
I smirked. “First rule is to attack when it’s least expected.”
He broke into a smile. “True.”
I blinked. I felt a rush of air whisper across my face, then he stood behind my back, his arm wrapped around my neck as Ethan had done the first day we trained. “Like this?” His warm breath tickled my neck, my skin soared.
“You’re a quick learner, well done.”
He released me. I turned to face him with a twinkle in my eye. I threw a light punch at his face, he blocked it. I threw another and he blocked that. I turned to the side and I threw a kick, he blocked that as well.
“That’s the second reason.”
“What is?”
“You wouldn’t hit back.”
He had me flat on my back on the ground in a dazzling blur of speed. So fast I wasn’t entirely sure what he’d done to get me there. He hovered on his hands, looming above my body.
“That’s two of the reasons debunked, and the third?”
I reached up and wrapped my hands around the back of his neck and pulled his face towards mine. My lips sought his. His tongue feathered mine. I bit his bottom lip gently. He groaned. I moved my mouth to his neck, kissing as I went up to his ear.
“And that,” I whispered, “Is the third reason. We’d never get any training done.” I shoved his chest, pushing him off me.
He laid on his side, propped up on his elbow. “Well that, Amelia, is perhaps the best reason we could have to train together, would you not agree?” His finger slid over my stomach in long sweeping strokes.
“Mmm, I’m not sure, let’s see what you’ve got, and I’ll let you know.”
He smiled and moved his lips again toward mine.
They landed with passionate intensity. It was as if his desire, no matter how many times we had sex, never weakened.
Each time was as urgent, passionate and primal as the time before.
Like it was our first time together, but gone were any of the first-time nerves, or the embarrassment of him seeing my body.
I was completely comfortable under his gaze.
His teeth clamped gently over my bottom lip, he sucked and then our tongues met, like a stripper on a pole in a slow teasing dance.
His hand slid under my t-shirt, reaching for my nipples.
His fingers stroked exquisitely softly. My nipples hardened.
“Take your clothes off,” he commanded in a gravelly voice.
“You first.” I met his challenge.
He leapt to his feet and pulled me to stand in front of him. Karson had his clothes off in two heart beats and stood naked, erect, waiting for me to remove mine.
“Your turn,” he said with a stare that was dark, ravenous and beautiful.
“That’s cheating.”
“I’m waiting, Amelia.”
I held his stare, whipped off my t-shirt and threw it to the ground.
“Turn around, Karson.” I indicated in a little circle with my finger. “A lady cannot undress in front of a gentleman.”
His lips curved up, and then he was behind me. He bit my shoulder, I yelped and then I groaned. “I never said I was a gentleman and, I am quite certain, you are not a lady.”
I twisted back to face him. I began to remove my jeans.
I didn’t rush, nor was it quite the sexy stripper act I’d hoped it might be.
But it seemed to hold his attention. I unbuttoned my jeans, lowered the zip, wriggled my hips and pulled them down, tossing them aside. I stood in black, lacy underwear.