“Thank you,” Henry said as he pulled me close, and held me.
I cuddled up against him. “I didn’t think you’d accept me, few people could.”
“It drove me crazy that you wouldn’t trust me with your secret.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Made me worry you didn’t think I was worthy of you.”
“I was afraid to let you get too close, but you did anyway.”
“I’m sneaky that-a-way,” Henry drawled.
“Yes, you are.” I waited a moment. “You’re absolutely sure that you can handle this? Very few mundane people can adjust to the reality of magick in their lives.”
“Well, life certainly won’t be boring.” Henry grinned. “I am as serious as you are about this. I love you, Hannah. That’s not going to change.”
“Can I ask you something?” I said quietly.
“Sure.”
“Why haven’t you made love to me since that first time? What are you waiting for?”
Henry tipped my chin up. “I’m waiting for you to tell me that you’re ready.”
My stomach did a quick backflip. “And if I told you I was ready, right now?”
His eyes narrowed. “Is Eli coming back tonight?”
“No,” I said. “He’s staying with my parents.”
“Do you have a lock on your bedroom door, just in case?”
I nodded. “Yes, there’s a lock on the door.”
Henry stood up and held out his hand. Silently I took it. Without a word we walked across the floor to my bedroom and stepped inside.
The room was softly lit from the little lamp on the night stand, and the windows were open, as I preferred them. A soft breeze ruffled the sheer curtains allowing the sounds and scents of the nighttime gardens into the room. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, shut the door and locked it.
Henry dropped his hands on my shoulders and I leaned back into him. He ran his hands down and over my body, and slowly turned me to face him. We stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment. This time there wouldn’t be any hurried coupling in the dark. This time would be completely different.
Suddenly more nervous than I cared to admit, I jolted when he ran a hand along the side of my face. “Don’t be afraid,” he whispered in that gruff voice.
I managed to smile. “I’m not.” Now that the moment of truth had arrived, I was more nervous as to Henry seeing my body in the light. I’d had a child, and was full figured. My body wasn’t perfect like some underwear model.
He pulled his t-shirt over his head, and my inner ramblings skidded to a halt. For the first time I saw his naked chest. I was so distracted at the play of muscles that it took me a moment to notice the tattoo on his right shoulder.
It was a Jolly Roger.
“You have a pirate flag tattoo,” I managed to say.
“Yeah,” Henry said. “Something wrong?”
As I focused on the design, everything around me seemed to slow down, and my heartbeat sounded loud to my own ears. His tattoo was all done in black, and I ran my fingers over the ragged flag that appeared to ripple and featured a skull with two crossed swords beneath.
Watch for the Pirate, Hannah, my grandmother’s voice whispered through my memories and it had me blinking tears from my eyes. I started to smile as everything at last clicked into place.
“Well there you are.” I smiled up at him. “I’ve been watching and waiting for you.”
“I’ve been waiting for you, too,” he said.
We reached for each other, and our kiss was explosive. My dress quickly went the way of his shirt, and he reached around behind me to unclasp my bra. He tugged the pink lace bra free and my breasts dropped heavily down.
“Finally,” he said, bending to lavish kisses across them. I held his head as he drew one peak into his mouth and began to suckle.
And here I’d worried that maybe my breasts were too big, I thought. But by the praises he was whispering across them, clearly Henry didn’t think so. He stood abruptly and in a few short steps we were both easing down on the bed. He nudged me back and tugged my underwear down my legs. I waited and watched as he unbuttoned and unzipped, allowing his pants to drop.
Now that I had a clear look at him, I began to understand why our first time together had been difficult. “You’re gorgeous,” I breathed as he stood there in front of me.
He grinned at that, and I steadied my voice and told him where I had the condoms. He nodded and reached into the drawer. Hearing him tear the box open had me shuddering in anticipation. I gulped as he rolled one on and slowly crawled over to me. He pulled me up and we knelt on the bed. He dropped a kiss on my shoulder, turned me in his arms, and the strongest sense of déjà vu swept over me as I relived the first vision the poesy ring had ever given me.
The light was misty, the sound was muffled and the air was heavy and expectant. Henry’s strong muscular arms wrapped around me from behind, holding me firmly but gently, and I gasped from my need of him.
He dropped kisses in the spot between my shoulder and neck, and feeling his whiskers rub across my skin as I’d once experienced from the vision made me shiver. He murmured in my ear, asking if I was ready for him, and tested for himself with gentle fingers. He sounded satisfied by what he’d found, and his touch had my heart racing and muscles clenching in reaction.
“Yes,” I whispered.
Henry gently arranged me to his liking. I was held in place by one of his hands on my hip, and the other that was tangled in my hair. He slid in slowly, and carefully, a little at a time. I threw my head
