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“You’re tense, Duncan.”
“I let my mind slip in Yolanthe’s direction.”
“Don’t do that.” But she chuckled. She knew him well.
He glanced at her, feeling eased just by her presence, by her laughter and the sparkle of her blue eyes.
She’d changed into jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes and had let her long blond hair hang freely around her shoulders. He’d gotten rid of his battle gear as well, and now wore jeans as well. Yet he’d also found a new stock of battle uniforms in the closet of the master bedroom. Megan had seen to all their needs.
He frowned for a moment as he thought of Megan. She seemed very familiar in a way he couldn’t quite pin down, though he was honored that Rex’s Prime Seer had been the one to see them to their home. At some point, he’d need a conversation with her about his suspicions that someone had interfered in the future streams. She might even know why Rachel hadn’t been able to access her shielding ability while in the Third grid.
But not tonight. As he caught Rachel’s garden scent, he wanted only one thing; to spend the next few hours with her and no one else.
The stream meandered through the side canyon, heading east to feed what Rex had named the Apache Falls River since there was a large waterfall at the north end of the colony. As Rex had explained at dinner, he’d fashioned the valley partly by design, and partly by exposing an underground river and several feeder streams. He’d done a lot of earth moving over a period of centuries.
As Duncan moved along the slight upward grade, a couple of smaller waterfalls spilled over boulders. Rachel exclaimed her pleasure more than once.
After a few minutes, he arrived at a small and very private grassy meadow.
Rachel drew up beside him. “This is so pretty.” Purple wildflowers bloomed at the edge of the grass then gave way to more dense woodland. “Do you think this was deliberate?”
“Yes, I do.”
“It would be a wonderful spot for a picnic.”
He turned toward her and pulled her into his arms. Or other things, he sent. Without preamble, he kissed her and was rewarded with her eager body pressed up against his.
He deepened the kiss, driving his tongue in a steady rhythm.
When he drew back, he recalled a quilt hanging over the back of a chair in the master bedroom and folded it into his hand. Turning toward the lawn, he flipped it open and spread it out on the grass.
Rachel, always a willing partner, waved a hand and lost her clothes.
He groaned at the sigh
t of her curves, her nipples peaked in the cool night air. He then returned the favor, shedding his jeans, shirt and shoes as well.
She dropped to the quilt, stretching out onto her back and holding her arms out for him.
“You look so beautiful, Rachel. More than ever. It’s as though you seem happier to me. Is it this place?” He inclined his head in the direction of the wood and the stream.
Her lips parted and her eyes widened a little. He could see by her expression she was choosing her words carefully.
“What?” He smiled. “Are you keeping something from me?”
“No. That is, yes.” As he knelt between her knees she gripped his arms. “There is something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about, but not yet. Is that okay?”
“You’re asking a man if it’s okay not to talk about something?”
At that, she chuckled, her eyes crinkling. “Right. You’re all so anxious to open a vein.”
His gaze slid to her throat. “Well, I am anxious to open your vein.”
Her hands relaxed their grip and she let her arms fall above her head, her body undulating. “I want more than just your fangs right now.”
He rubbed a hand down her abdomen and cupped her low. Easing his fingers inside her, he felt her moisture. He drove in and out a few times, loving the feel of her body clenching. She seemed different somehow, more ready for sex than ever, her skin glowing.
Something had changed with her, but he really was okay not to open that box just yet.
