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"Imagine how it feels to eat one piece of Belgian chocolate," Marcus suggested, moving to pack up the contents of their basket. "You inhale it, savor it on your tongue. The flavor of it is something that you can choose to let linger in your mouth, building your body's reaction to it, for once you swallow it, it's gone.
The pleasure is not in the consumption, but in the sensory experience. To bring it to its fulfilling conclusion, you will eventually swallow it, but the longer you draw it out. . . ah, the more satisfying that swallow is. " He grinned at her expression and pulled a small tin from the cooler. "Bon bon?"
Lauren shook her head at his wicked ways, her mood lightening, and took one. "Okay, is this metaphor going somewhere?"
"Always," Josh predicted.
Marcus shot him a reproachful glance. "Now say you eat another. And another. Somehow, you still want them, you're still cherishing that experience, but the more you stuff in your mouth, the more elusive that sensation gets. But you eat them even faster, without really noticing how they taste anymore. And then, you're sick.
"This is the first piece," he leaned over to Josh, ran a fingertip down the man's throat and along the collarbone.
A flush rose in Josh's face as he made a visible effort to keep himself still. Lauren's breathing hitched, the chocolate melting on her tongue, as Marcus's touch trailed down the center of Josh's bare chest, stopping just above the heart, where his ribs met the surface of the sand. "That's how the game was meant to be played. Savoring, drawing it out, cherishing, never taking for granted the gift that has been given to your senses. You must appreciate it, worship it, even as you run your tongue over it and melt away the outer casing to get to the cream beneath. You hold it captive as long as you can, intending on bringing out its richest flavors before allowing it to explode, and be consumed.
"Jonathan," his lip curled in a sneer, and his eyes flashed back to Lauren, "had a serious eating disorder. "
A drop of rain spattered on Lauren's knee. Thunder rumbled lazily in the distance.
"How about we take lunch inside?" Marcus offered. He jerked his head
toward Josh, a twinkle in his eye.
Chapter 14
They went to the Salerno house. The rain had begun to come down in earnest, their house was closest, and it had the hot water heater the men wanted to check. Isabel came when Josh called, but there were no detours this time. Once depositing them at the Salernos, the elephant vanished into the forest.
According to Josh, she was not likely to be seen again until the rain ceased.
The Salerno home was like Lisette's, built to blend into the forest. However, their house had the air of a medieval period country home. The first and second levels had outdoor walking galleries with open archways, rather than porches. The siding of the first and basement floors was done in stonework. Most charmingly, a creek ran by the front of the house, and the head and coils of a bronze dragon rose out of the water, creating the impression of a guarded moat.
Lauren paused at the stairs and turned back, her eye caught by the creature. She went to the water's edge to get a closer look. The dragon's features had been enhanced with different colored metals, the play of light making it into a living, breathing creature. She eased out one canvas toe into the creek, and laid her fingers on the dragon's face, felt the satin curves of the jaw, the rough texture of the scales on the neck, scales that had some movement to them, for they were separately fused, as scales would be. The neck and jaw connections also had a little play to them, so movements of the wind brought slight motions to the dragon's head, increasing the eerie impression of life.
"You're going to get wet," Marcus said, having followed her.
"It's not too bad yet," she smiled and slanted a glance at him. "Have you ever thought about how absurd it is, the way we run inside from the beach when it starts to rain? I mean, we were swimming, immersed in water, and then it starts to rain, so we hunch our heads and flee. This is incredible. "
"We need to get inside," Josh called from the first floor. "Unless you two want to drown. "
"It's amazing," Marcus agreed, taking her arm to help her step back onto the bank. "Wait until you see what they have in the house. "
"So which one of the Salernos is the artist?" she asked, moving toward the stairs.
"Neither," Marcus replied. "The Salernos are New York Italians. Mrs. Salerno is a cosmetic company CEO, and Mr. Salerno is a retired police chief. You feel like you're in an Italian restaurant commercial around them. Lots of shouting, quick-to-anger, quick-to-forgive personalities, devoted to each other in a very practical manner. They have three almost-grown children we've never met. I doubt the kiddies have ever been here," Marcus grinned, a look to his eye that suggested there was a reason for that. He pressed her up the stairs and continued his casual dialogue before she could pursue the mystery behind that look.
"They're not artists, but they're an artist's best friend. They're very generous patrons of three of the artists that have homes here. In the house, well, I'll let you see for yourself. "
Marcus's words immediately made sense upon entering the Salerno's large foyer. The interior of the house exploded with artwork. Original paintings, sculptures of all mediums, and pottery work lined the wide corridor. Lauren recognized some of the most well known names in the art world in the styles before her.
Yet the art did not appear to be chosen solely for its market value. There was an underlying theme of unique character, of color and interest to the eye, and the way it blended into the country castle atmosphere. A castle crossed with bourgeois comfort, she amended to herself, as she moved into the sunken pit living area and saw that the center piece of this room was a top of the line La-z-boy recliner, complete with baseball arm cover for a remote and TV directory. There was a pair of worn fleece slippers parked at the base, as if the master of the house was just up getting a beer from the fridge.
"We're going to go down and check the water heater," Marcus said, touching her elbow. "Feel free to wander about. It's a great place. "
Josh had already disappeared and Lauren lifted a brow. "He's avoiding me, isn't he?"
Marcus inclined his head. "Regrouping. Trying to piece together those defenses you're systematically shattering. I suspect you won't give him time to do that. "
"You bet your ass. " She said it with conviction, surprising herself with the depth of it. Marcus grinned and left her to her explorations.
Lauren wandered to the wall of windows and admired the sweeping view of forest and ocean, much like Lisette's home provided.
