Chapter 48 My Idea of Heaven

July 10, 2008

I have fallen in love with this house, this place. Maybe it’s the idyllic or classical honeymoon happiness but at any rate I know I never want it to end. Sadly, in 2 days it will. We will head back to LA and our regular lives. I guess I’m okay with that but I will miss this time together. It has been a learning and growing time for us and has helped to put us on the same page about many things.

Yes, I said many things – there will obviously be things that we are never completely going to see eye to eye on like my continuing to work. He wants me to stay home, maybe help him with some cases. While I would love that I’d miss having my own job and contributing to our financial lives. Compromise: I’ll continue to work until I have the baby; if we are so lucky as to get pregnant.

Second issue, he loves the loft and its sleek and contemporary furnishings. I don’t dislike it at all; it is the epitome of Mick and I feel happy and welcome there, but I need a bit more ‘lightness’ in my settings. When he furnished the bedroom for me (which I adore) he did it with my tastes in mind. We’ll keep his furniture downstairs and I will add some ‘Beth’ touches here and there to make it my home too.

Negotiations are going quite well! Of course the wildly erotic and frequent sex helps a lot! (Vampires apparently have no ‘off’ button!)

Money was a huge thing though; no matter what kind of job I have I’ll never be able to contribute what he does to our lives. He is a millionaire and I had no idea of that. He owns the building we live in and thanks to Josef’s investments over the years he has a very comfortable bank account. It is enough that if neither of us ever worked again and we only lived off the interest of those accounts we’d still have way more money than we would need. It boggles my mind…

I am going to make an appointment first thing Monday with my OB/GYN to find out what we need to do so that I can be inseminated. I was never really sure if I would ever want kids; I love them but I guess I’m not sure if I ever saw myself with them. I have come to understand that I was never with a man that I wanted to share that with. Now I can’t imagine not having kids with Mick; I only hope that it can happen because both of us will be disappointed if it doesn’t. We talked about adoption as a backup plan and it would probably be okay for us. We’ll see what nature has in store for us though.

Later…


OOOOOOOOOOOO



Three days before…

Mick and Beth managed to escape the reception relatively unnoticed. Mick had taken her by the hand and led her quietly down the hallway to their room. He unlocked it and picked her up, carrying her over the threshold.

She giggled, her arms wrapped around his neck and said, “This is our hotel room Mick, I don’t think it counts as our threshold!”

“What do you mean you don’t think it counts? Of course it counts!” He sat her down and nuzzled against her neck breathing in her scent. At the feel of his cool face against her neck a shiver of delight ran up her spine, raising goose bumps along her arms and shoulders. Her heart sped up and Mick smiled at her reaction to him. His lips slid up her neck and traced along her jaw before settling on her lips, drinking in the sweet nectar that was Beth.

He kicked the door closed behind him and then had an afterthought and set her down on the floor. Her knees started to give away and he held her up for a moment until she could steady herself. He opened the door again and hung the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign out to keep out any unexpected or definitely unwanted guests.

They both looked around the room; it was filled with roses and a bottle of champagne in a silver ice bucket. The scent from the roses was heady, even to Beth’s human nose. Mick leaned his back against the closed door, his hands behind him as her took her in, from the tips of her toes to the tiara sitting on her head. She was radiant, stunning and she was his. Beth, my Beth…

She was nervous he noted; the vein in the side of her neck was pulsing rapidly. He was nervous too he thought with a laugh; after all, his last wedding day hadn’t gone so well. He went to her and wrapped her in his arms and he felt her small body relax a bit as she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him, that spot where, if he were still human a rapid staccato would be a tell-tale giveaway as to his excitement.

“I love you,” she sighed. “Don’t ever let me go Mick.”

“Never Beth. I love you too. Would you like a glass of champagne?”

She gave a small, flustered laugh and nodded, the movement stirring his senses with the scent of her hair, her skin. This was his idea of heaven he acknowledged, feeling her warmth against his chill, inhaling her sweetness into his parched and barren soul. She completed him.

He opened the bottle and then poured a splash into the flutes, enough to make a toast. After he pushed the stopper back into the bottle and sat it in the bucket he raised his glass and said, “To love and finding your heart’s desire”. He softly touched his glass with hers.

“To forever,” she answered, her gaze never wavering from his. The look was almost mischievous he realized, as if she was daring him to dispute her words. His eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch and then he grinned.

He knew that in the end she would get exactly what she wanted.

They each took sips of their drinks and then Beth sat hers down on the table. “Mick, I need you. I can’t wait another minute; make love to me.”

Almost before she finished the sentence he had pulled her into his arms and found her lips with his. She sighed as he claimed her and let herself melt into him. Her stomach began to tighten and dance with excitement as she felt his body against hers.

Suddenly the only thing in her world was Mick and he filled her senses; the clean smell of his skin, the taste of his lips, the soft brush of his hands on her body. A spell was being woven around them, intricately entwining them in its arms. It was heady; it felt as if the room around them vanished and all that mattered was the two of them thrilling to the intoxicating rush of emotion and sensation only held back by tenuous floodgates.

He was aroused; hard and ready for her and she felt the same way as she did; he could smell her arousal and it called to him, leading him to the one place he was meant to be- with her. His hands reached down her back, trying to find the zipper for her dress and she smiled against his mouth and murmured, “It’s on the side Mick.”

He felt gauche and like a fumbling teenager as his long fingers found the tab and slid it downwards with a quiet whisper. The dress slipped down her body in a silken rush, pooling on the floor like an errant moonbeam. She wore no bra, only a pair of panties that were a mere wisp of fabric fragrantly imbued with her desire. He slid his hands down over her hips and caught the elastic band with his thumbs and pushed it down over her satiny skin; the gentleness of the touch left a trail of raised goose bumps in its path. His lips followed the trail, caressing with tantalizingly soft kisses that made her shiver with delight.

Beth pulled his head up so that she could kiss him and rubbed her tongue across his lips and lightly pulled on his lower lip with her teeth, licking and kissing it, then repeated this with his upper lip. Teasing and torture would be the strategy of the day she decided! Her breasts were against his chest; the crinkly hairs were teasing her nipples and driving her crazy. Mick reached up to play with her nipples and she grabbed his hand and kissed it, then sucked on his finger to get his mind off of her breasts. Beth knew she wouldn’t be able to finish teasing him if he started caressing her!

She suddenly backed away from him and started working on the buttons of his shirt; he was only too happy to help and before she knew it both shirt and slacks were lying on the floor along with her dress. Shoes and socks surrendered themselves to the impromptu closet on the floor and they stood there, gazing at one another, their eyes adoring each other. She held out her hand and he took it, raising it to his lips and he kissed her palm, tickling it lightly with his tongue in teasing stokes. Beth sighed and a low moan escaped her, bubbling up from deep in her chest. She moved to the bed with Mick following behind.

As soon as she was on the bed he wrapped himself around her, holding her close as his lips sought hers. The kiss took her breath away with the desire it expressed, a wanting so fierce it pulled her into it with reckless abandon.

Beth’s mouth worked on his, slowly pushing his lips open and gently caressing his tongue, then boldly stroking it more firmly. His hands made another play for her breasts and she moved them away and said, “Uh unh.”

Her mouth made a leisurely journey down to his jaw which felt rough against her tongue as she stroked it. She tickled him under the chin with her tongue, little short strokes that made him moan. His throat tasted wonderful and had the faint odor that was all Mick clinging to it. He smelled warm and sexy and her mouth ranged farther down his neck to where his neck and shoulder met in a sinewy delta and lightly bit that place, the place where the softly muscled neck meets the hardness of the collar bone. She licked it delicately, and then blew warm air on it and was rewarded with a shiver and a low growl.

His hands were no longer trying to explore her, he knew she wasn’t going to let them; they were lying clenched at his sides but she could tell it wasn’t easy for them to stay there. Beth shifted her mouth downwards to his chest, letting her breasts drag along his chest which made both of them groan with the aching contact. She loved how her breasts felt against the crinkly hair on his chest.

She let her mouth roam and continue its downward exploration, stopping to linger over his nipples, rubbing first softly with her tongue and then harder, the tip pushing against his hardened flesh. She felt them stiffen under her ministrations and then kissed each one lovingly. Beth tried everything on him that she liked, nipping, swirling and sucking and was rewarded for her effort as his breathing became more rapid and he was softly moaning. Her warm fingertips traced over the firm muscles of his sleek abdomen, delighting in the washboard feel of him. She thrilled as she felt the muscles contract under her hands and she playfully tickled the cool skin of his belly, running her fingers through the short silky hairs as she slid her mouth down to play there as well.

She found his naval and traced it softly with her tongue and smiled as his stomach contracted as he sucked in a deep breath. She was close to her very hard and sexy destination and couldn’t hold out any longer—her mouth found his cock and visited it with soft, wet kisses. She adoringly licked up and down his hard shaft, loving the feel on him on her tongue. His skin felt like velvet over steel under her tongue and lips and she thrilled to it.

Mick’s hands started to play with her hair, not pushing, just caressing her and it was wonderful. His body was rigid because he was so aroused and she knew she had to be careful, she didn’t want to push him too fast.

She held him in her hands like a luscious lollipop, slowly licking and then swirling her tongue wetly over the ultra-sensitive head. Beth’s mouth suddenly dropped onto him, taking him deeply into the depths of her throat which caused him to lift his hips off of the bed, his need unbridled as his hips moved of their own volition. She sucked gently then withdrew her mouth very slowly, only to take him in deeply again and again. His moans were more urgent now, needing more and she gave him the best she could, making love to him as if it were the most precious gift she could give to him.

He cried out, “Enough, stop! I need to be inside you, please baby. I can’t last much longer.”

Beth obliged him by sitting on him and sliding his hardened length into her already drenched body. She rode him quickly and came just as quickly, her contractions almost pushing Mick over the edge as well. One minute she was on top and the next Mick had her on her back, driving into quickly with long and slow strokes that penetrated her deeply.

Together they rode their passion, unleashing it and pushing as hard and fast as they could go. Mick felt her body begin its contractions again and he let himself go, heading for the edge as well.

His face changed, paled with his fangs showing. She had never seen him more beautiful. She pulled him down to her and kissed him hard, her small hands caressing his cheeks in love.

She saw it in his eyes and bit her lip, drawing a bit of blood and he caught the heady fragrance as her endorphins signaled that she was near orgasm. He licked her lip, tasting the sweetness and slid his lips down to her neck, tongue seeking the spot that was his alone and bit gently, letting the sweet warmth flood his mouth.

It was no surprise when she bit his shoulder, drawing his blood as well and she savored the taste as she lapped at it before the wound quickly closed. They both cried out with the intensity of their orgasms, their bodies grinding together to heighten the intensity.

Mick gently pulled his fangs from her neck and lavishly tended to the small puncture marks, loving the shivers that his attentions caused. Beth wrapped her arms around him and tried to catch her breath which was ragged as they held each other, their sweat-dampened bodies nestling together contentedly.

He kissed her, his tongue playing over the still puffy bite on her lip. “You didn’t have to do that Beth – I was going to bite you baby. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“Just insurance, that’s all.” She ran her hands over his back and felt the quickly cooling sweat on it. She kissed the spot on his shoulder that she had bitten, licking up a bit of blood that was left on it. It made her feel different when she tasted his blood; more alive maybe but if forced to she knew she would have a hard time explaining it.

Suddenly she remembered the night in Reno when he told her they would have to talk about it and she asked him about it now. His eyes sparked silver for a moment and he worried his lower lip for a moment as he thought of how to explain it all to her.

He let his fingers play in her damp hair for a moment, pushing a few stray tendrils away from her face. “Beth, to a vampire the bite means many different things. On its dark side it can mean superiority, vengeance, triumph, subjugation or domination of an enemy, or death. It also can mean love; it’s how we can show and share our love, the emotions that flow through the blood heighten and sweeten the blood of the ones we love. It also binds two individuals, a – a sort of mating actually or possession. When I bit you, other vamps could smell it and to them, you belong to me.”

Her eyes opened wide as she heard his words. Anger sparked in her crystal blue eyes and she started to speak, “Mick…” until he placed a finger over her lips to silence her.

“Let me finish, okay?” She nodded wordlessly and he continued, “It’s like a beacon to other vamps and most would never cross that line. You already know how possessive we are, territorial. Those are not the best of traits, but its there inside of us; it drives us. It causes us to protect what is ours, sometimes fighting to the death Beth. Not pretty, but very true.

When a vampire mates, it is usually with another vamp. There is an almost mystical or sacred bond that forms and connects our hearts, minds and spirits. When it’s right that is, when we have truly met our mate.”

“Did you share this with Coraline?” she asked, afraid of the answer.

“No, never. I’m not sure that Coraline was capable of that with anyone, but perhaps I do her an injustice to suggest that. I only know that I never felt that with her. I’ve never felt it with anyone Beth, not before you. When we are making love, it surrounds us, engulfs us to the point that no one or nothing else exists except each other. Have you felt that?”

“Yes,” she said hesitantly, trying to figure out when it had shifted, when lovemaking with him had become an almost religious experience. When she bit him…

He saw the realization cross her face and smiled; he knew that she understood.

“When I bit you that first time, that’s when it happened. But why?”

“Because you are my true mate; we share our blood now. Josef recognized it that first morning, remember?”

When they had walked into the bus that morning Josef had circled her and said ‘Congratulations’; he had known immediately. “So all vampires know this?”

“Yes, they do. How do you feel about that?”

“I’m happy about it; ecstatic. It explains so many of the feelings that I have that I didn’t understand Mick. We’ve always been connected, but now it is tangible for me, for us I think.”

“Yes, it is. And yes, we’ve always been connected my love.”

“I was talking to Clark, the night before the wedding. I asked him to walk me down the aisle and as we got to talking I remembered something. When I learned to ride my bike, I fell off the bike and you picked me up.”

Mick remembered it all too well; it had scared him to death, watching her fly over the handlebars. “Yes, I did; you scared me badly. I’ve always been there for you Beth.”

“And you always will be. You know that now you will have to turn me, don’t you?”

He nodded solemnly, murmuring softly, “Yes, I do. I will, I will, I will...” His lips captured hers to seal the bargain, hoping that it wouldn’t have to be too soon.



OOOOOOOOOOOO



The next morning Josef’s jet whisked them off to Seattle. Family and friends saw them off at the airport and Beth waved out the window, watching the skyline of Las Vegas fade away in the clear blue sky. As they traveled north the landscape became mountainous and greener. The shades of green were verdant, lush; deep forest greens to almost blue-green shot through with bits of frothy light green. Only the ocean offered another color, sometimes blue and sometimes gray. It was very relaxing to watch.

At SeaTac they rented a car and started the journey to Mick’s house, about an hour away. When they got there Beth was awed by it, the house and the land it sat on, overlooking Puget Sound. It was the perfect place for a honeymoon and she couldn’t wait for it to begin.

“Race you into the house!” she teased. “First one in with their clothes off wins!”

To be continued…