Runner's Moon Trilogy Megabook Series (43 page)

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"Sarah, I think I heard your alarm go off." Simon nuzzled her cheek, then gave her a quick peck. Sarah shifted into a more comfortable position before she remembered she was lying on the carpet in her living room. Barely opening her eyes, she watched him disappear down the narrow hallway and into the bathroom. At the sound of the shower starting up, she rolled over and sat up.

Crap. She couldn't tell if she felt wonderful or terrible. She was sore as hell, but she found she rather liked the way her thighs stuck together. Not to mention the way her breasts seemed overly sensitive.

Carefully she cupped her hands around her generous globes. There were few areas on her body she was proud of, her breasts being the main ones. They were round and symmetrical, without a droop or sag anywhere. The nipples were a dark pink, almost the same shade as the baby-toes tulip he had given her. Sarah smiled at the comparison.

Yeah, she knew that once she hit her later years her ample bosom would need extra support. But right now they were just about as perfect as they could be. Hell, she knew many women who had commented about them, insinuating that she might have had a little surgery done on them. Nope, they were exactly as God had made them, she proudly boasted.

Although sometimes she suspected the good Lord had given 598

her these perfect breasts to compensate for the other flaws in her appearance.

"You know, I might need help washing my back."

Her head jerked up when she heard Simon calling out to her. Giggling, she scrambled to her feet and tossed the afghan back on the sofa as she rushed to join him.

Fifteen minutes later, after several quick kisses and a hasty "Talk to you soon," Simon left the apartment to rush over to his place for a change of clothes. Sarah bundled her damp hair into a chignon, dressed in a simple skirt and blouse, and hurried to her car, applying makeup along the way.

The day was going to be a scorcher. The sky was already filled with puffy white clouds and a sparkling sun, but in no way could this fantastic-looking day compare to the way she felt. It was almost a shame to have to pull into the faculty parking lot and shut off the radio playing the song she'd been singing along with. Fortunately no one dared to intrude upon her private little fog until she reached her office.

"Hey, girl."

Turning around, Sarah noticed Philla giving her an approving eye. "Good morning!" she smiled back.

"Uh-huh." The woman took in everything, as if seeking to find some hidden clue. "Oh, yeah. You got that look, girl. And you got it big time."

Sarah frowned and tried to bluff. "Got what big time?"

"That 'cat that ate the cream' look, sweetheart." A knowing smile curled up in the corners of Philla's mouth. "Who was he, Professor? Someone we know?"

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Giving an I-don't-care shake of her head, Sarah turned back to the coffee pot to add a packet of sweetener to her mug. "It's nobody's business but my own."

Unfortunately the put-off only increased the woman's interest. "Yeah. Okay. Blow me off, Miss I-Ain't-Had-A-Date-In-Forever." Philla's eyes narrowed. "Girl, I have never seen you glowing like this. Never! And I do mean glowing! So, if you're not gonna share any worthy tidbits, can you at least let me know if he has a brother."

This time Sarah couldn't help the grin on her face. "Yeah.

He has a brother, but he's already married." She glanced at her watch and noticed the time. "Crap. I'm late for my eight o'clock class. Sorry to leave you hanging, Philla," she apologized without a drop of sincerity, brushing past the woman on her way to the elevators. Too late she realized she'd left her notes behind on her desk, but there was no way she was going back to get them. She could wing this class for today. Then maybe she could stroll over to the Student Union Building for a quick breakfast. The path over to the main quad would take her along the construction site, where maybe she might catch a glimpse of him.

Sarah's smile widened. Listen to her! She was acting like a giddy teenager with her first crush! No, she quickly corrected herself. This was no crush. This was the real thing. The real forever, for-the-rest-of-her-life thing. And life was only going to go uphill from here. No more lonely nights. No more dateless weekends. And certainly no more vacations without having someone to share her experiences with.

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Vaguely she wondered how far Tumbril Harbor was from Templeton. And how would Simon's brother and adopted sister take her? She was no runway model, she had no great physical beauty, but a lot of people complimented her on her smile.

Oh, well. It wasn't important. Whether they accepted her or not, it wasn't going to affect how she and Simon felt about each other. Nor would it affect what they had. Or how great the sex was. Sarah walked into her first class of the day knowing it was going to be too damn long before she and Simon were back in each other's arms again.

Surprisingly, the hour-long class sailed by. She ended her demonstration on an up note and was out of the lecture hall before the majority of the students had the chance to file out.

Exiting the elevator on her way to retrieve her purse from her office, she was surprised when Dr. Fermont tagged her on his way over to his life sciences class.

"So what does he do? Work in a nursery?"

Sarah giggled. "What are you talking about?" Nursery?

Babies? She stared at him in confusion as they passed each other, and the older professor took her place inside the elevator and punched the button for the first floor. Throwing her a wink, Fermont said no more as the doors closed. Sarah sighed loudly and continued heading for her office.

Turning the corner to her hallway, she came to an abrupt halt to stare in shock at the profusion of plants sitting inside her tiny office. No, not just plants. Big flowering bushes and trees. Greenery in pots and plastic tubs. There had to be at least a dozen containers sitting inside her tiny office, all of 601

them taking up what little space there was, including the top of her desk. Not to mention one fern that sat perched in her chair.

Slowly she made her way over to where the message light on her phone was blinking. She punched in her code to retrieve her missed calls.

"Good morning, t'korra." Even over the phone Simon's sensuous voice could make her knees go weak. "I was told it was customary to send flowers after a romantic evening.

However, I preferred to send something that would last.

Something that hadn't already been clipped to die. Each plant I've sent you will bloom, and you'll soon have all the flowers you'll ever want. Plus you'll have the benefit of watching them continue to bloom."

His tone shifted, dropping to a level that sent pure erotic shivers down between her legs. "You are all I've ever wanted.

All I have ever prayed to find. You are my forever, and these plants will die long before my love for you will. Here is my cell phone number. I forgot to give it to you earlier. Call me when you get the chance. But if I don't hear from you, I will meet you at your car at five. Have a wonderful day, Sarah. You'll be constantly in my thoughts." He ended the call with his number, repeating it twice before wishing her another wonderful day and hanging up. Sarah stared at her phone in befuddlement, torn between the need to listen to the message again and the need to hang up and try and reach him on his cell phone.

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Screw it. She preferred live over Memorex any day. Jotting down the number on her desk calendar, she punched in the digits. He answered the call before the second ring.

"We may have to rent a trailer to get your presents over to the apartment," he said, chucking in her ear. The sound reminded her of how that same chuckle would rub against her nipples, and that thought alone was enough to get her panties wet all over again.

"My office looks like Tarzan moved in. Simon, I would have been just as happy with another tulip, and you know that."

"I do know that," he acknowledged. "But I have an account with the nursery over on Bergstrand. I called them this morning on my way to work and asked to see what they had blooming."

She glanced down at the foxtail fern still perched in her chair. "If they bill you for a fern, don't pay it. Ferns don't flower. I may hold a doctorate in astrological science, but even I can tell you which plants will bloom and which ones won't."

"Actually they do, Sarah, although the buds are rather small. But I chose that fern because it looks like the ones from my country. I'm glad I was able to surprise you."

"Oh, you most certainly did." She managed to maneuver her way between leaves and branches over to the window and look down. Somehow she knew he would be below, and she wasn't disappointed. In fact he was staring up at her window, waiting for her to appear. Seeing him below, she beamed.

"You have a smile that warms my heart. How do you feel?"

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The question made her giggle again. "Why do you keep asking me how I feel? Can't you tell?"

"Are you ... sore?"

"Damn right, I am," she answered without hesitation. "In fact, I wouldn't mind being sore like this for the rest of my life."

Her answer got a genuine laugh from him. "My break is over, but I'll see you at five. Shall I rent a trailer to get your greenery home?"

"Naw. This place could use a little color. I'll leave the larger ones here and take the smaller plants home a few at a time.

But don't expect me to be able to take care of them. That's gonna be your job. I don't have a green thumb."

"But I do, t'korra. Until later." He hung up and gave her a little wave before disappearing back inside the construction area. Sarah hung up feeling more contented than she could recall ever being in her life.

Yeah, this was honest love. Strong, fierce, and wonderful.

Really wonderful. Humming to herself, Sarah moved the fern to the wastebasket and plopped down in her chair in front of her computer, where she began to tackle the next chapter of her treatise, forgetting all about going to get breakfast.

Like her classes, the day passed in a blur. Every time she stopped to take a quick break or to teach a class, her thoughts were on Simon and on the previous night. It was strange that she felt no embarrassment or inhibitions about what they did. Being naked didn't bother her either, despite her ultra-conservative upbringing. At least, not with Simon it didn't. After attempting to figure out why being with him left 604

her feeling so free, she finally shrugged her shoulders and gave up. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? Or in this case, why try to fix something that definitely wasn't broken?

The foxtail was the first plant to go home with her. At five she closed the door to her office and rushed downstairs to find Simon gunning his cycle next to her sedan.

"I want to kiss you hello, but there are eyes everywhere watching me," she commented, smiling and dropping the fern in the passenger seat.

"I understand. Your people have an aversion to public displays of affection. I'll follow you to your place."

"And then what?"

That remark earned her another genuine laugh. "Then I want you to change into something more comfortable. I'm taking you out to eat, but this time we're taking my bike.

Interested?"

"You betcha!" she laughed. She had never ridden on the back of a motorcycle. The thought of clinging to him as they zoomed through town was tantalizing.

At the apartment she quickly slipped into a pair of jeans and a tank top. Simon handed her the spare helmet that still bore a price tag. Sarah ripped off the sticker and pulled the helmet over her head. He showed her how to fasten the chin strap, but not before giving her a loving kiss.

Just as she'd expected, wrapping her legs around the big bike and pressing up against Simon's back and buttocks made the ride much more exhilarating. Especially when she could reach down between his legs and find evidence of what she would be treated to later on that night.

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The restaurant they went to wasn't fancy, but it was well known for its fare of home-cooked meals. Sarah ordered the baked chicken, conscious of her weight, while Simon got a large Waldorf salad. Once the waitress took their order and left, Sarah reached across the table to take his hand.

"Thank you."

He lifted an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For giving me something I've only dreamed of."

Surprisingly, admitting such things didn't sound corny to her, even though she had always thought smarmy phrases like that should be stricken from everyone's vocabulary.

Simon gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I should be saying the same thing. How was your day? Busy?"

"Umm, green. It was definitely green." They both chuckled at the joke.

Their drinks were delivered. Simon waited until the waitress left before saying, "I've been on the phone talking to Jebaral. He and Tiron are anxious to meet you."

Sarah pulled away from his grasp to wipe her sweaty palms on the thighs of her jeans. "They are?" she managed to ask. Her sudden nervousness didn't surprise her. She'd had very little experience with a normal family life, but she had heard enough horror stories from her co-workers about in-laws and inharmonious relations with relatives.

"They are thrilled for me, Sarah. Why are you nervous?"

he asked softly, leaning over the table so their conversation wouldn't be overheard.

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Her eyes jerked around the restaurant to see if anyone else was observing them. So far everything appeared normal, which was exactly what was bothering her.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" His voice was gently demanding, but she could sense some fear in his question.

"Maybe nothing. Maybe ... maybe I'm afraid I'll jinx this whole thing."

"Whole thing?" His eyes widened to the point where she could see the jade flecks in them dancing under the light suspended above their table.

"Simon, I'm not used to having someone as wonderful as you suddenly sweep me off my feet and lavish me with the kind of love and attention you've given me."

"It's what you deserve," he began to protest, but she shook her head, cutting him off.