Summer's Night (14 page)

She wrapped her arms around his lower back, holding him snug against her, still feeling an occasional tightening below, stirring her to experiment by squeezing her inner muscles, clenching around his still hard erection buried inside her canal. Each movement drew out her pleasure a moment longer, both fulfilling and compelling her for more at the same time.

No wonder people liked sex so much
.
Talk about addicting.

He lifted enough to remove his weight from her smaller frame, his eyes searching her face. "Are you okay?"

She smiled, pleased and beyond happy with not only the sex, but with Night himself. "I'm great."

He grinned widely, a dimple appearing in his cheek. "You liked that, huh?"

"Oh, yes." She clamped down with her feminine muscles once more, earning a low moan for her efforts.

"Damn." The mumbled curse escaped as he watched her closely, a mix of amusement and steamy rapture flashing through his eyes.

Her hands glided over his sweaty torso, getting reacquainted with his buff body.

"Hold on." He gripped his quickly deflating erection with one hand, securing his fingers over the condom, before gently withdrawing in slow motion, sitting back on his heels.

Summer gasped at the mixture of abrasiveness, goodness, and slight muscle tenderness. She released a long breath when he pulled free, already wishing him back. "Is it always like that?"

"Like what?" He yanked off the condom, tied it off, then tossed it into the nearby wastebasket before refocusing his attention on her.

"So… so close, so intimate. Like we truly united and became one."

He climbed to settle at her side, pulling her tightly against his large frame, her back to his front.

She snuggled into the embrace, wiggling her bottom against him teasingly.

"Uh, uh. None of that now. I'm trying to be good." He admonished with a nip to her exposed earlobe.

She flinched then relaxed once more into his secure hold. "I happen to like you naughty." Admitting her feminine desires came easier now that they shared such an intense coming together, although she couldn't quite look him in the eyes while discussing such intimate issues.

He placed a kiss to the nape of her neck, then her bare shoulder. "I'm glad, but I don't want you sore later."

"If I can experience that again, I'll gladly live with a bit of soreness afterward." She admitted, turning her head to lick his neck slowly, teasingly.

"How'd I get so lucky?" He rolled her to her back, looming reassuringly above her, his long black hair hanging free, allowing them to stare into one another's eyes.

"You are nishzhoni… beautiful. Likan 'ayoo 'ahalniih… delicious. T'adoo beelt'ehe da… wonderful." He punctuated each word with a kiss.

She grinned, reaching up to push her fingers through his soft, thick hair. "I'm the lucky one. This tall, dark, handsome knight chose me to be his princess."

"You're my princess." The tone spoke of sincerity and truth.

"Prove it." She threw out the challenge, smiling with glee when he plastered his lips over hers. She met his renewed passion with energy, love, and abandonment.

"To think, I didn't even have to kiss a silly frog to find the man of my dreams." She giggled as he tickled her sides for a moment, growling mockingly, before resuming his game of sensual seduction. One she desired and willingly acceded to.

Epilogue

As soon as he returned from taking down Ravini, Night set plans into motion. He spoke to a realtor, inquiring about houses available nearby with land attached. The man called him a day later with a holding that abutted Summer's present farm. He would wager a month's salary the land used to belong to her great grandparents before they lost it in the Great Depression. The coincidences lined up too perfectly for him to refuse. After having a long chat with his mother and showing her the house, he offered on the property. Three days later, he learned the old tenants accepted and set a closing date.

Life really revved up at that point. His mother happily packed, already talking about the new house, the larger rooms, up-to-date kitchen, and more than enough square footage for a house pet or two. He encouraged her to find an animal, anything she wanted, and they would make room in the house. The sheer joy on her face made him smile for a week.

Summer spent some of her free time helping them transfer their present belongings into cardboard boxes for the movers. All breakables had to be wrapped carefully in bubble wrap, with the boxes marked fragile lest they get dropped in the moving process. They folded clothing and stuffed them into separate boxes while the larger furniture sat to one side, waiting on the strong arms and backs of the hired help.

He donated several items to charity, things people could get some use out of although he and his mother no longer needed. The manager thanked him greatly for his donation in such a difficult time. The simple action warmed his heart and ensured he would do more in the future to help others on a local scale.

The movers came, their household belongings shifted from one locale to another. A 'For Sale' sign stood in front of their old house as they unpacked in their new home, making the large brick ranch house their own. Carpenters flocked to the property, updating and repairing the large old barn still standing on the property, renovating the shelter to be more than adequate to care for the needs of several animals in all kinds of weather.

Once the boxes were finally emptied and broken down for recycling, his mother called Summer, inviting her to come over and see the new place.

"Come on in, dear." His mother pushed open the door, gesturing for Summer to enter.

Night stood in the entryway, eager and excited to show Summer the first of many surprises for the day. He took in her faded jeans complete with raveling knees, pink T-shirt, and her bright blonde hair pulled up in the ever-present ponytail.
Beautiful.

"How are you feeling, Mrs Kensington? The knee doing okay?" Summer asked as she walked through the entryway, pausing beside Night to look at the older woman.

His mother wiggled her cane. "Better every day. Doctor thinks I can lose this contraption in a few more weeks."

"That's great. I'm so proud of you for all your hard work."

A soft squeak interrupted as a tubby orange tabby wound his way around their legs.

"Oh, dear. This is Oliver." She gestured to the couch. "The black one napping away is Millie."

"How adorable." Summer reached down to pet the cat's head. "Where'd you get them?"

"I adopted them from the shelter." Night's mother beamed with pride. "Their owner passed away, leaving these siblings grieving and alone. I had to bring them home with me. Always wanted a cat, but never thought the time would come."

"They've been good for her." Night interjected with a grin. In all honesty, he could see the many changes those cats evoked from his mother. She talked to them all the time while they listened intently. Nearly every time she sat down, one or both landed in her lap, curling up while she caressed their soft fur. They slept with her and she fussed over them getting plenty of food. He even drove her to a pet specialty store so she could purchase a whole box full of cat toys. She would spend hours tossing fake mice or waving a wand for them to catch, providing her with pure joyous entertainment, if her smiles and laughter were any indication. "She nags them instead of me."

Summer chuckled. His mother rolled her eyes.

"I'll give you the tour." He reached for her hand, locking her fingers in his.

Together, they moved slowly room by room while he played tour guide, pointing out small nuances and hinting at future plans for adjustments.

"You have no idea how surprised and thrilled I was when you purchased this house and land." Summer beamed up at him, leaning her smaller frame against him.

He accepted her weight easily, relishing in the physical closeness. "How could I not? It's a nice house, well cared for, with forty acres of shady pasture." Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. "Besides, the package came with this great little neighbor."

She tittered, looking up with a wide smile plastered on her face. "Ah ha. You thought to share a fence line with me and get your binoculars out to spy on me in my bedroom at night."

Night's lips tilted up. "Why would I do that? I can just march right over and get an up close and much more personal view."

"That you can do."

He placed a kiss of promise to her lips. "Let's go outside. I want to show you the barn."

"Lead the way."

They moved through the back door to the closest fence, slipping through the gate and into the pasture. Ahead sat the old large A-frame barn, fully remodeled.

"I hear bells."

Night grinned. "You mean, you hear Belle."

"Huh?" Bewilderment and confusion carried in her voice.

"Come on. I'll show you." He took her hand, leading her into the refurbished barn, all the way to the back. Only then did he stop in front of the overly large end stall.

Summer peeked over the stall door and gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh, my. She's beautiful. They both are."

He watched her reaction, joy zinging through his heart. "Yes, you are."

She spared him a glance. "No, silly. I meant the horses." Her attention returned to the baby standing next to her mother's side. A tall palomino paint mare arched her neck, nuzzling the mirror image foal, jostling the bells to ringing once more. "Why do you have a collar with jingle bells on her?"

He sidled up to Summer, leaning against the solid wood, taking in the scene of the mare and her three month old foal. "The mare is blind. Her foster home said she was always frantic over losing her baby. So, they came up with the idea of placing a collar with bells on the filly. It didn't take long for Ribbon to realize her baby jingled, and relax because she could always hear Belle."

"That's such a wonderful story. I see why you call her Belle." Her voice cracked with emotion.

Night smiled at her womanly reaction. "Ribbon was neglected and starving. She and a few remaining live horses were seized by animal control and sent to the rescue. It took months to get her back into good shape. Early on they realized she was pregnant, but no one figured she would carry to term. Somehow she did."

Tears overflowed, running down her cheeks. She brushed them away with her sleeve.

He tugged her close, placing a kiss on her crown. "There's one more."

She swiveled, looking around the barn, her gaze finally lighting on a shadow standing in a stall adjacent to where they stood. Without hesitation, she walked over.

He followed, speaking low and soft. "This is Ransom."

The short but stocky-framed horse ambled to the front of his stall as if drawn by the call of his name. A finely chiseled head emerged over the barrier, the bright white star on his forehead contrasting starkly against the black background. His delicate muzzle snuffled them.

Summer reached out, running her fingers over his cheek. "What's his story?"

He smiled as he recalled uttering the exact words as Summer introduced him to her rescued horses a few weeks ago. Unbeknownst to her, that day she planted a seed that came to fruition a couple days ago when he picked out these horses, the first of many he hoped to adopt in his lifetime. "He was rescued from the same pasture as Ribbon. They bonded during their experience and the rescue refused to separate them. Even after she delivered, he stuck by her, seeming to help her watch over the foal. He's her eyes."

"So, he nearly starved as well?"

"Yeah. He was actually in worse shape, nearly died, but they pulled him through. They found something else, too."

She pulled her attention from Ransom to look Night in the eye. "What is it?"

"He carries a tattoo inside his lip. They traced him through that. He's a retired racehorse. Didn't win a single dollar for his owners, so they sold him to what they thought was a decent home." Anger gripped Night recalling the horrendous shape those poor horses were discovered in. No animal should have to suffer like they did, living in filth with no food or clean water, left to slowly starve to death in the bitter winter.

Yet, somehow, these horses managed to not only survive, but to hold no resentment toward man, being gentle and affectionate, seeking nothing more than a rub to an itchy spot and a bucket of grain.

"You rescued a thoroughbred." Amazement laced her voice.

"It appears so."

"Oh, Night. I can't believe you did this." She wiped more trails of tears from her face.

"You inspired me." Pulling her into his arms, he held her tight, soaking up the essence that was Summer. "After meeting you, I decided I could do so much more. Strive for old dreams, do more good in the world. Because of you, I'm a better person."

She sniffed before resting her head against his chest. "I love you, Colton Regent Night Shadow Kensington. You're my dream come to reality."

"And I love you, too." He stood with the woman of his dreams wrapped safely in his arms.

He savored the moment standing in an old barn surrounded by miracle horses, the love of his life holding him as if she would never let him go.

The time felt right. He hadn't planned this particular surprise, but this moment simply clicked as the perfect time to ask. Being a spur of the moment decision, he had no ring to offer her, but didn't think she'd mind. They could go shopping for a ring later. Right now he needed to take advantage of this rare opportunity. Taking a deep breath, he stepped back, taking her hand in his. Lowering to one knee, he watched her face intently.

Summer tilted her head in question before seeming to understand. Her hand covered her mouth as she waited.

"Summer? Will you marry me?"

More tears ran down her cheeks. "Yes! Yes!"

He caught her as she threw herself into his arms, holding him just as tightly as he held her.

The last missing piece of the puzzle for his life clicked into place. This was one special summer's night he would never forget.

The End