Purpose (19 page)

I blinked back the tears at the reminder as I
let the silky strands fall through my fingers. “And it’s so
long.”

“Do you like it?”

“I don’t know.” I continued running my
fingers through it. “It
is
sexy.”

His eyebrows jumped and a smile played on his
lips. “Maybe I should have left it longer.”

“It was
longer
?” Then I remembered
seeing him—when I thought he was a delusion—standing in the park,
long hair whipping in the breeze.

“I pulled it into a ponytail and cut it off
to a more reasonable length. I hope you’ll finish the job for
me.”

I laughed. “You want me to cut your hair? No
way.”

“So you
do
like it?”

“That’s not exactly what I meant. I mean, I
guess I like it. You kind of look like the Tristan in
Legends of
the Fall
….”

He raised an eyebrow. “Him again?”

I smiled, also remembering the conversation
many years ago. “Yeah, but…”

He studied my face. “But what?”

“But you also look like you belong on the
front of a romance novel or something.”

He laughed. “Okay, it’s definitely coming off
then.”

“Well, I’m not doing it. I have no idea how
to cut hair and I’m not ruining it.” But I did have an idea. “You
want to feel something incredible?”

“I have you in my arms. What could feel more
incredible than this?”

“Hmm…you’re right. It can wait.” I leaned my
head against his chest.

“You have me curious now.”

With a grin, I rolled out of his arms and
retrieved my brush. I knelt behind him on the bed and brushed his
hair, slowly and gently, the way I liked mine to be brushed. Mom
had brushed it a lot for me over the years, because sometimes I
hadn’t cared enough to do it myself and it had helped to relax
me.

“Mmm…you’re right. It’s almost as good as
foreplay,” Tristan said with a shudder.

I chuckled. “I never thought about it like
that. Of course, I guess if
you
were doing it…well, any
touch from you is like foreplay.”

“Really? You’re that easy, huh?” He trailed
his fingertips up and down my calf, the electric current giving me
goose bumps. I squirmed from the tickle.

“Only for you,” I said softly, kissing his
ear.

I ran my fingers through his hair again and
it felt soft and silky, like Dorian’s. I smoothed the strands down
and pulled them all into a ponytail, then yanked on it to pull him
back against me. I draped my arms around his broad shoulders and he
clasped my hand over his heart again.

“Thank you for coming back,” I murmured. Like
earlier, it didn’t sound like enough, but I felt the need to tell
him anyway.

“I’m sorry I ever left,” he replied quietly.
I wondered if he had felt a similar need to tell me that. The
apology was good to hear, to be honest. Because there had been
times I’d wondered over the years, when I dwelled in my darker
hours, if he’d known exactly how bad it would be and went anyway.
And, in my darkest of dark hours, if he had purposely left, his
assignment with me finished.

“Me, too,” I whispered. A tear slid down my
face and dropped onto his bare shoulder.

“Don’t cry, my love. We’re together now.”

I wiped my wet cheek against his hair.
“Forever this time?”

“Forever. I promise.”

I rested my chin on his shoulder, our cheeks
pressed together, and closed my eyes. I breathed in his delicious
scent and was reminded of motorcycle rides to Gasparilla Island
when we first got together. I felt like I could sit here with him
forever, never having to let go again. But then that strange,
burning sensation started coursing through my veins and muscles.
The energy began to build again and I tried to fight it. My body
wanted to move, but my heart didn’t.

Tristan finally broke the silence and made
the first move to get up. “I don’t know about you, but I’m
starving.”

I shrugged. “Not really. I actually feel like
going for a run or something.”

“You need to eat. And then
I
will give
you a workout,” he said with a smile.

“Oh, yeah? You planning to teach me
Aikido?”

“Hmm…I guess I could. But…” He bent his head
down to mine and ran his mouth over my jaw and neck. “…I was
thinking of a different kind of workout.”

“Ah, even better.”

We went out to the kitchen to find something
to eat. Guilt stabbed my heart when I saw the package of steaks on
a plate in the refrigerator.

“I should cook those for you and Owen
tonight,” I said. “I owe him.”

“Were you two planning a special dinner?”
Tristan asked, raising an eyebrow.

I frowned and made myself busy, pulling meat,
cheese and mustard out of the refrigerator to avoid his eyes. “The
pretense was a celebration for finishing the last book, but I
really just wanted him to go to the store and away from here long
enough so I could leave last night.”

I felt him eyeing me. “What were you thinking
anyway?”

“About you,” I said honestly as I started
making sandwiches. “I wanted to find you. And I needed to save my
family. When you went to them, they left us alone until now. I
thought if I went to them, they would leave the others alone. And
we could be together again. If my family would be safe, then I’d
rather be in their hell with you than in my own hell alone.”

He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry I made you so
miserable.”

I finally looked up at him, holding the
mustard-covered knife in the air and jabbing it with emphasis.
“
You
didn’t make me miserable. Your absence did.”

He stepped behind me and wrapped his arms
around my waist. “I know what you mean, my love. Life is nothing
without you.”

“Exactly.”

I finished the sandwiches and handed him one
and half of mine. I really didn’t feel hungry; my stomach felt too
knotted to eat. The phone rang as we finished and I ran into the
bedroom to grab it.

“Hi, Mom!” I answered, falling backwards onto
the bed.

“You sound good,” she said.

“You don’t. You sound tired.”

“Fourteen hours of air travel and another two
on land and sea with a six-year-old is exhausting.”

“Sheesh, where are you? I thought you were
just going to a safe house.”

“No, we came to Rina’s. We just arrived. I
wanted to see how you were before I hit the hay.”

“I’m great! I really couldn’t be any
better.”

“How are you feeling? Tristan said you were
hurt pretty badly.”

“I’m fine. Everything’s healed up
perfectly.”

“How’s Tristan?”

“Beautiful. Sweet.
Here
.”

“Does he seem…okay?” Worry filled the
question. I could hear her concern clearly across the thousands of
miles separating us.

“Yeah, he’s fine, Mom. Actually, more than
fine. He’s absolutely
divine
.” Even through the phone, Mom’s
chuckle sounded hollow, empty of humor. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I’m just concerned about
him…and you. We don’t know what they’ve done to him. I’m sure
they’ve left something behind.”

“Well, there are some…residual…effects. But
it’s not anything we can’t work through. He loves us, Mom. He loves
me. We’ll be okay.”

She sighed and apparently accepted my
assessment because she changed the subject back to me. “How are you
doing? Anything going on with you?”

“If you’re referring to any changes, I don’t
think so. Of course, I’ve been a little preoccupied.”

“I’ll be there in a couple days. I guess, in
the meantime, just be careful. If something happens, Owen’s there
to help.”

I thought about that and smiled to myself. It
seemed, just like many years ago, I only had to worry about Tristan
during sex and I felt pretty sure I wouldn’t want Owen’s assistance
then.
Owen, help! I don’t know if that was a moan of pleasure or
a real growl!
Nope, wasn’t happening.

But I simply said to Mom, “Yeah, I know.”

“We need to get to bed, but Rina wants to
make sure you tell Tristan to begin working on the plan. He’ll know
what she means.” She paused and I heard what sounded like Rina
speaking to her in the background. “Dorian wants to talk to
you.”

“You didn’t tell him about Tristan, did
you?”

“No, honey. That’s your surprise. I wouldn’t
ruin it.”

“Thanks, Mom. You’re the best. I love
you.”

“I know you do. And it’s nice to hear you so
happy again. Hold on a sec while I get Dorian.”

I motioned to Tristan to come lay next to me,
putting my finger to my mouth. We’d already agreed he shouldn’t
“meet” Dorian on the phone, but he could listen. We lay on the bed,
our heads close together, the phone between us.

“Hey, Mom!” Dorian said. Tristan squeezed my
hand as soon as he heard his son’s voice. My own heart soared when
I heard it. Just last night, I thought I never would again.

“Hey, little man. How are you?”

“I’m great! Do you know where we are?” he
asked, wonder filling his voice, as if he’d never been anywhere so
cool.

“Tell me!”

He told us all about Rina’s ginormous rock
house with the fires everywhere, even on the walls, and about the
planes and the pretty flight attendants and the movies and
everything else he could think of, moving from subject to subject
without interruption, barely pausing to breathe. Tristan beamed by
the time Dorian finished.

“Mom, when will I see you again?” he asked,
the enthusiasm replaced by longing. “I miss you. A lot.”

“I miss you sooo much, too, little man,” I
said. “But I don’t know when. Soon, though. And when you do, I’ll
have a really big surprise for you.”

I waited for him to gush about getting a dog
for his upcoming birthday, not ever expecting the bigger and better
surprise we had in store for him.

“Did you find Dad?”

What?
Tristan and I stared at each
other wide-eyed, mouths open.
How does he know?!

“Dorian, why would you say that?” I finally
asked.

“Because you left in his car and you’ve been
gone a long time and now you’re really happy.”

I couldn’t answer him. Tears filled my eyes
and I thought even Tristan’s eyes were moist.

“Mimi says I have to go now, Mom. I love
you.”

“I love you, too, little man.”

I snapped the phone shut and we laughed and
cried in amazement.

“I told you he’s smart,” I said, “but that
blew me away.”

“He’s unbelievable…even better than I ever
imagined,” Tristan said wistfully. Then his lips spread into the
really fabulous smile, the one that always made my heart melt and
the rest of my insides turn to mush. “I think we need to try for
that little girl.”

He rolled over and pinned me on the bed,
kissing my neck and my chest and…lower. Good thing we hadn’t
dressed—our clothes would have been shredded in renewed
desperation. When his eyes blazed and he seemed to be losing
control, I just had to tell him I loved him to bring him out of it.
Our love served as the antidote to whatever lurked beneath his
surface, whatever they’d planted in his subconscious.

We lasted slightly longer this time—long
enough to break the bed in the middle, creating a bowl I had to
climb out of.

“I liked that bed,” I said regretfully. “It
was…comforting.”

“There are two more just like it in this
house.”

I didn’t expect him to understand. While I
lay on that bed, a bawling lunatic savoring our memories, I finally
started climbing out of my dark pit. It was almost symbolic, having
to climb out of the pit of the broken bed.

“We’re staying in this room, at least.”

“Well, help me move the beds. Or I can ask
Owen?” He grinned.

My eyes widened. “Oh, no. I’ll do it. That’d
be too embarrassing.”

He laughed. “Not for me.”

Men
, I thought with a shake of my
head. Then I thought about Vanessa seeing this and knew I would
feel the same way.

Tristan didn’t really need help moving the
beds. Although he probably could have lifted them with one hand, he
didn’t even bother. He simply used his power, making me wonder if I
would ever be able to do that. He said telekinesis was a basic
power and even the weakest of our kind could move a bed. Then he
said I would be so powerful, I would probably be able to move
skyscrapers if I wanted. I laughed at the absurdity.

“Maybe we need to get a rock house like
Rina’s,” I said, rubbing my hand over all the dents in the wall
above the new headboard. I laughed. “You think that’s why she has a
rock house?”

“From what I’ve heard about Rina, I wouldn’t
be surprised. I hear you come by it naturally.” The gold sparkled
in his eyes.

“Oh, I see. Now I know the
real
reason
you came looking for me all those years ago,” I teased.

“Nah, it’s just a nice little bonus.” He
wiggled his eyebrows. “But I don’t think Rina’s house is what
you’re picturing. She lives in the ancient Amadis mansion, made of
marble and limestone.”

I envisioned Rina in her fancy dresses,
gliding around an impressively large, resplendent house of marble.
“Ah, that fits better.”

“I do like Dorian’s description, though.” He
flopped down on the new bed. It moaned in protest. “Even if we have
a rock house, it won’t help the furniture.”

“No, it won’t. We’ll have to figure something
out or the kids will be wondering why we need a new bed all the
time. And can you imagine when they’re older? They’ll be
mortified.”

“They’ll probably hate us for having such a
great sex life,” he said and we both laughed. He pulled me onto the
bed and we lay in each other’s arms. Just one day earlier I would
have never guessed I could be so happy again. And here he was, my
sun pushing the darkness away and lighting up my life once again.
Discussing the future with him—including a daughter—was
priceless.