To My Senses The Nicci Beauvoir Series Book 1 (44 page)

I felt a tingle of
excitement course through me. “Show me the rest of the
house.”

He took my hand and led me to the
stairs.

The second floor was much
worse than the first. Some old floorboards had been replaced, and
the new wood shone out like shiny piano keys against faded yellow
ones. There were strips of dingy, flowery yellow wallpaper falling
off the walls, and dull brass light fixtures hanging along the
ceiling. The ceiling had dark stains from water damage and some of
the plaster looked as if it had recently been replaced.

David led me to the first
door on our right. The hinges creaked with annoyance when he pushed
open the cypress door. The room inside was neatly swept and freshly
painted a pale gray. It was bare, except for a desk and a small
chair in the center. There was a new porcelain fixture hanging from
the ceiling and the switch on the wall looked new, as
well.

“
This is my study,” he
announced.

He showed me the bath and the guest room;
then we came to the last door along the landing.

This room had been painted
the most brilliant azure. There were curtains hanging on the
windows and a cream Oriental rug in the middle of the floor. In the
center was a king-sized, four-poster mahogany bed.

David leaned against the
doorframe. “I had this room done first. I wanted it ready when you
came.”

“
What would you have done
if I hadn’t come?”

“
I knew you would come.” He
moved across the threshold and rested his hands on the wall behind
me, encircling me with his long arms. “I missed you,” he
whispered.

I touched his chest,
letting my fingers trace the outline of his firm muscles. “Tired of
all those cold showers?”

“
Are you still
angry?”

I smiled up at him.
“No.”

“
I thought of calling you a
million times, but I knew you would never forgive me unless I was
here; right here, to look into your eyes and tell you how I
felt.”

“
Why did you
leave?”

“
If I left, there was no
threat from Sammy and I knew you would be safe. If I stayed, things
could have gotten ugly. I figured best to let the situation cool
itself off. And you needed to cool off, too.” He sighed, happily.
“Do you know how much I have missed you? The smell of you, having
you next to me in the morning, painting you, touching
you—”

I pressed my finger to his
lips. “Maybe you could just show me exactly how much you missed
me.”

“
Yeah.” His face inched
closer. “I could do that.”

Finally his lips were on
mine, draining me. I could feel the muscles of his chest against
me, as his arms enveloped me. As he started to unbutton my shirt,
his hands caressed the skin around my neck, making my flesh
tingle.

“
I have waited so long for
you,” he murmured against my neck.

He kissed the base of my
neck. I leaned my head back and pulled him to me. His lips covered
my chest with kisses. David picked me up and carried me to the bed,
kissing my neck, my shoulders, and my face. He gently placed me on
top of the bed, then he stepped back and stared at me, reverently.
He slowly climbed onto the bed and rubbed his hands up and down the
length of my chest. When he gazed at my half-naked body, his dark
brows drew together with concern.

“
You’re so thin. Have you
been sick?”

“
No,” I asserted, feeling
the mood ruined. “Just unhappy.”

“
I promise to make it my
mission to find ways to fatten you up.” He kissed the mounds of my
breasts tenderly.

“
What did you have in
mind?” I asked, as I heard the zipper of my jeans being moved down.
I felt the weight of his hands, sliding the jeans off
me.

“
Lots of home cooked meals
and….” His eyes feasted on me. “Plenty of exercise.”

When he reached between my
legs, I arched with anticipation. My heart pounded, as his teeth
pulled at my nipples.

His fingers grazed the
outline of my folds. “Did you miss me, Nicci?”

I eagerly unzipped his
jeans, helping him slide out of them. I ran my hands along the
length of his bare back, down to his round, hard ass. He closed his
eyes while my mouth traveled over his chest, tempting him with
kisses.

“
I never realized just how
much until now,” I said, clasping his erection.

Smothering my face with his
kisses, he climbed on top of me, anxious to take me. Kneeling
between my legs, his lips traversed my neck, shoulders, and belly.
I closed my eyes and reveled in the sensation of him. It had been
so long since I had been overcome with such an intense
desire.

“
We have a great deal of
catching up to do.” His teeth nibbled at my neck.

“
Then we better get
started.” I pulled his mouth hungrily down on mine.

***

We slept and made love all
the rest of the afternoon. The sheets were rumpled beneath us, as I
lay across his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It was calm and
steady, and sounded like it would go on forever.

“
I guess you really did
miss me,” I said, smiling.

His laughter rumbled
through the hollows of his chest like thunder. “I got the same
impression. I’m glad, though. I should thank the good doctor, next
time I see him.” There was a hint of jealousy in his
voice.

I tightened my arms around
his chest. “Michael doesn’t matter anymore.”

“
He was a silly boy,” David
agreed. “I knew that from the moment I saw him standing next to you
at Val’s party. I realized then that I had nothing to worry about.
I knew you would come back to me.”

I sat up. “Oh, that ego.
Does it ever quit?”

“
Not ego, Nicci. Fact.
There is no one who will ever understand you more than me.” He
rolled over on his side. “We are two of a kind; two odd ducks that
belong together.”

“
Cora said the same thing
to me.”

His hand caressed the
length of my body. “She told me. I went and saw her before heading
to Val’s party. We talked quite a bit, mostly about you. I knew I
had hurt you, but I never realized how much until Cora told me how
unhappy you were.”

“
That doesn’t matter
anymore, David.”

“
It matters to me.” His
face grew somber. “You deserve to always be happy, Nicci. Remember
that.”

“
Someone once told me they
thought happiness was an achievement to strive for, but something
that could never be maintained. I think that’s what you said, isn’t
it?”

He rolled on top of me,
laughing. “I forgot how much I missed that mind of
yours.”

I smiled seductively at
him. “Is that all you missed?”

He cupped his hands around
my butt, pulling my hips closer. “No, not all.”

“
What else did you miss
about me?” I breathlessly begged.

“
I’m not sure how to put
that into words.” His lips tantalized my neck. “Why don’t I just
paint you a picture,” he whispered.

“
That could take some
time.” I ran my hands along his chest, across his tight abdomen,
and down to his erection. “But I’m willing to hang around and see
what you come up with.”

His body shuddered. “Good
thing I still have that bulk supply of condoms,” he mumbled right
before his lips came down hard on mine.

***

Eventually, we made it
downstairs, and spent some time scrutinizing David’s well-stocked
freezer. We grilled steaks, indulged in large amounts of Lambrusco
wine, and sat around the dining room table watching the sunset. I
lit some candles when it started getting dark, and David opened
more wine. There was no other sound except for our conversation and
the crickets outside.

“
They have a good little
hospital in Hammond, if you want to work. It would be close, so you
wouldn’t have to drive into New Orleans all the time. You could
spend more time here, with me.” He sipped his wine, leaning back in
his chair and waiting for my reaction.

I was lightheaded from all
the wine and exercise. “You might get bored with me underfoot
everyday. Besides, I have a job waiting for me in New Orleans.
Actually, it’s the job Michael got me.”

He grimaced, slapping his
wine glass down on the table. “Better give that up, as soon as
possible. I want you here. That way I can paint you, whenever I
please. You don’t need to work. We don’t need much. The house is
paid for.”

I set my glass of wine down
on the table. “What are you saying, David?”

He had a boyish grin on his
face. “That I want you to stay here with me for the rest of our
lives.” He made a serious face. “We can make it legal, if you
want.”

“
Don’t make it sound so
painful!” I laughed. “I don’t know if I want to get
married.”

“
Well, I want you to be
completely mine. So we’ll have to get married.” He paused,
frowning. “I’m very possessive. I don’t want to share you with
anyone, understand?”

“
David, how would you feel
about me keeping my name? That is, if we ever got
married?”

He shrugged, scooping up
his wine glass from the table. “I don’t care what you call
yourself. Do whatever you like, as long as it makes you
happy.”

“
Somehow, I knew you would
say that.”

“
Why? Does that matter?” he
asked, a bit puzzled.

“
It was something that
desperately mattered with Michael, but not with you.”

“
You wasted enough of your
life on that silly man. Let’s never mention him again.” He sounded
quite dictatorial.

“
Are you jealous of
Michael?”

“
Of what you shared with
him? Yes.” He smashed his lips together. “Sorry, but it is a new
emotion for me.”

I poured some more wine
into my glass. “What other little bits of information should you
tell me about yourself, before we proceed with this
arrangement?”

“
Everything I do is
forever. Anyone I love, it is for always.” He reached for my hand.
“And I like a light starch in all of my shirts.”

***

We soon settled into a
peaceful routine. David would paint in the morning, and in the
afternoon we would investigate some of the numerous antique shops
around town. I wanted to fill the house with antiques and give it
an old-time, homey feel. Every day, it seemed, we would discover
another store and take home another piece of the past. At night, we
spent our time in bed, getting to know each other all over
again.

One morning, I awoke to
find that David was not in the big bed with me. I pulled on his
heavy blue robe and went downstairs in search of him. I found him
sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee, and watching the sunrise.
He turned to me and smiled, as I entered the room.

“
Hey, couldn’t sleep?” I
kissed his cheek.

He pulled me into his lap,
and I nestled against his chest. “I have something for you.” His
voice sounded strange.

“
What? Another little table
or another electrified oil lamp?” We had been buying a lot of old
lamps and small curio tables. David seemed to like collecting
them.

“
No, it’s in there.” He
nodded toward the dining room.

I climbed off his lap, amused, and went into
the room to see what it was.

In the middle of the dining
room table there was an old typewriter with a big red bow on it. I
hurried to the machine and fingered the keys. It smelled of fresh
oil, and some of the keys looked like they had been recently
replaced. The new ones glistened amid the duller ones.

“
I found it before you
came, and brought it to someone to be restored. It’s as good as
new. I know it’s not a computer, but it is sturdy and has more
character.” He wrapped his arms around my waist. “I want you to
start writing again.”

“
It has been awhile. I
don’t know, David. What would I write about?”

“
Write all those wonderful
stories floating around in your head.” He kissed my cheek. “It’s
time to start writing again, Nicci.”

“
Why do you want me to
write?”

“
You will never feel
complete until you do. I can never fill all your days…and your
heart was never really in nursing. Sooner or later, you would have
realized you needed something more in your life. Something that
makes you feel like you are using all of your brain and not just
half of it.”

“
Do you feel complete when
you paint?”

“
Only when I paint
you.”

“
David?”

“
Mmmm?” he murmured in my
ear.

“
I have to know something.
What exactly did you do…before?”

He let go of me and had a
seat at the table, sighing as he sank into his chair. His eyes
carefully examined mine.

“
I stole secrets. I was
usually hired to collect industrial secrets wanted by a business
rival or competitor. There were times when I was sent out to gather
personal secrets, as well. Things that could be used against an
individual for blackmail or leverage.” He peered out the window. “I
specialized in obtaining information from lonely and bored wives of
wealthy businessmen. I’m not proud of what I did, but I am finished
with it.”