Forever and then some, he vowed, our bodies moving together as natural y as if wed been loving each other this way for as many thousands of years as we would forward, our eyes lost in a glimmering sea of sapphire.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
BREAKFAST HAYWARD STYLE
I awoke from the sweetest of dreams into the sweetest dream yet and had it not been for the hushed voices interrupting our sanctuary and the exhaustion I felt from a next to sleepless night, I would have thought I was dreaming stil . Wil iams body was half draped over mine, his arms holding me against him, his eyes closed.
Hed been right”we figured it out . . . and then we figured it out again and . . . wel , by dawn I was almost cocky with my newfound sexual powers.
The man was stil smiling in his sleep.
Brushing my lips across his, I rol ed over him. I think thats al the sleep youre going to be al owed this morning, love, I whispered as I heard someones laughter spewing from their mouth when what sounded like a couple of eggs cracked to the ground.
His arms stretched above him, his smile stretching wider. Again? he said, sounding anything but inconvenienced despite his best attempts. I knew youd be the death of me one day, but like I said”his hands stretched up to my shoulders before flipping me onto my back”what a way to go, he whispered, dotting my neck with kisses, his body no longer holding its weight above mine.
Okay, I was not going to be able to put together a coherent thought, let alone a coherent sentence if he kept this up. Your family, I said, already breathless. Theyre a room away and, since I think theres a very good chance we woke the neighbors three houses down last night, you better put the brakes on right now, I said, almost begging. I couldnt put up a fight against this, at least not a convincing one, so hopeful y hed find the wil power to abstain for the both of us.
He cocked an ear towards the door, the noises coming from behind it hitting him for the first time. What are they doing here? he grumbled, his arms lining with veins as he propped up on them.
Wil power real y sucked sometimes.
Making breakfast would be my guess, I said, remembering Coras more threat than warning last night that she was just as capable of improvising as we were. Is that a crime now? I teased as he looked put out, inconvenienced beyond repair.
Considering four of the five of them know what its like to wake up on the first morning of your honeymoon and want nothing else but to stay in bed”al day”yes, it should be a crime. He kissed me, but the heat of one thing leading to the next was gone from it. Hed resigned himself to family, clothing, and a break from bed.
He shifted off of me, rol ing into a stand and padding over to the dresser on the far wal .
Do you think its possible that I love you even more this morning? I asked, watching unblinking as the morning light shadowed around the lines and curves of his body. Perfection, there was no other word for the nak*d man before me.
After last night? he said, like it should be obvious. Most definitely.
Yeah, thats what I thought, I said, stal ing putting my own clothes on because watching him put on his was something worth stal ing for if there ever was something.
He grinned back at me, the sapphire in his eyes sparkling in a way the pale ones couldnt, or perhaps hadnt had the same reason to before last night. He pul ed on a pair of tattered Levis and shrugged into a snug grey tee before moving towards my suitcase resting on the chair in the corner.
As much of a damn shame as it is to cover that body of yours,”he smiled wickedly back at me”would you like me to grab you something to wear? He unzipped the bag, a low whistle his immediate response. As Id expected it would be.
Were you planning on not leaving the bedroom for a year? he asked, rifling through the bil owy layers of lace and silk.
Yes, I answered, shrugging. However, I think I packed a swimsuit . . . just in case we wanted to take a break.
I dont know what I did in my life to deserve you, he mused, admiring something from the suitcase before returning to the dresser. But Il be the last person who youl hear complaining.
Lets see, I said, leaving the bed and moving towards him. You searched for me tirelessly for the better part of two hundred years, loving me before I even knew who you were,”I wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning my head into his back”have the respect of every single Guardian in existence, rescued me from the evilest man to walk the earth on two separate occasions, and theres something else, I said, tapping my fingers over his stomach as I pretended to think. Ah, thats it, I said, snapping my fingers. You saved the world, too. I cant imagine with that unimpressive line-up why youd deserve someone like me.
He spun towards me, a pair of his scrubs and a sweatshirt in hand. Have I ever told you that you tend to be a little melodramatic in the morning?
he asked, kissing my forehead.
I smirked at him, skimming my thumbs along the waist of his jeans. And have I ever told you that you tend to be a little self-deprecating in the morning?
He kissed me suddenly, this one definitely not conducive to getting dressed and having breakfast with the family. His hands roamed over my nak*d body and, just as I was going for the first button of his jeans, a three note tap came outside the door. I jumped like a thirteen year old about to be caught by her parents.
Alright, thats enough you two. We can hear you out here, you know? Joseph said, trying to sound stern. Put your clothes back on and get out here. Youve got one minute before I bust down the door, no matter what sounds I hear coming from the other side of it, you got me?
Wil iam stifled a growl against my neck as his mouth wasnt ready to give up on his attempts to delay the inevitable. Were coming, Joseph! I hol ered louder than expected, more to do with Wil iams hands than irritation at Joseph for being interrupted.
As always, excel ent choice of words, Bryn, Patricks voice carried across the room before it broke into a snicker.
Wil iam grumbled louder as I grabbed the clothes from his hands, pul ing on the sweatshirt like it was the enemy.
Oh, and Wil iam? Joseph said, so innocent he couldnt be. I left you guys a little belated Union gift on the nightstand. Thought it might be something youd put to good use, he said, his voice implying something that could only be deciphered by his brother.
Wil iams eyes ran to the nightstand as a mischievous smile formed. I cant think of a better present and wel definitely put them to good use, he said, practical y running to the smal cardboard box.
Isnt it a little late for those? I asked as he tore the box open. And I dont think we need to worry about using” I havent seen a pair of these in fifty years, Wil iam said, rifling through the boxs contents.
My face squeezed together. Real y? There doesnt seem to be a shortage. You can find them in some nasty dispenser at any pit-stop off the highway.
He paused to look at me. What are you talking about?
What are you talking about? I repeated, staring at the box in his hand.
Contacts, he said, tearing a package open. Pale blue ones to be exact.
Pale blue ones . . . I repeated as I contemplated.
He opened his mouth to explain, but I was already there. Patrick, I said, Wil iam and Joseph just as fond of playing with him as he was with them.
You guys want to play a little trick on him.
He nodded, his eyes glinting.
That is stooping to a new level of low. Even for you and your brothers, I said, crossing my arms before smiling. Help me put mine in?
I just fel in love with you al over again, he said, popping a set in his eyes and blinking them into place. Good? he asked me.
So good I want to recreate what we did to rid you of that sweet, innocent blue, I said as he popped open the other set. He smiled one that was new, one that had been invented last night”it was my new favorite. It made my stomach drop just as it had the first time Id seen it a handful of hours ago.
Im real y going to have to thank Joseph for this gift, then, he said.
Im obviously missing something here, I began, looking away from him. I didnt trust my wil power when he looked at me like he was. But if there are these little light blue wonders in existence, why doesnt everyone make use of them if . . . I hinted, seeing hed caught my drift.
If you look close enough, he said, lowering his head so we were eye-to-eye, its obvious theyre fake. Youd have to be desperate to hope a pair of these would keep you from being found out. But Patrick has never been one for details, so this ought to be good.
How am I not going to laugh? I said as he dropped the contacts in my eyes. I was practical y laughing just thinking about the look on Patricks face.
Just think about last night, he suggested.
Hows that going to help? I shouted, tingles sprouting up my thighs.
You dont want to laugh anymore, do you?
No, but Il wind up doing something much worse.
Thats a matter of perspective, and from mine, that sounds like my kind of breakfast.
I blinked mine around until they seemed like they were in the right spot, but they felt dreadful on, like there was something that needed to be dug out of my eye.
Ready? he asked, twisting the doorknob.
Not real y? I dont know why I replied with a question, but no matter what my answer was, Wil iam was throwing that door open, giddy at the chance to tilt the scales of brotherly racketeering in his favor. But whenever Patrick was on the other end of it, payback was always paid back promptly and in excess.
The hushing was silenced as our bedroom door groaned open, four pairs of eyes zeroing in on us. The fifth set in the room had his back to us as he shoveled a plate with a steaming pile of bacon. Not a peep was made, although Joseph was practical y busting a gut as he surveyed Wil iams and my contacted eyes.
So . . . Patrick said final y, continuing to the next tray lining the dining room table. How are our newlyweds this morning?
Cora had to pinch her husbands arm to keep him from howling out in laughter. Joseph could barely keep from laughing, how was I going to manage it?
Not too bad, Wil iam answered, drawing out a yawn. How about you?
Abigail and Nathanial flitted around the stove and sink, distracting themselves as Wil iam grabbed my hand and led me to the table. Joseph and Cora kneeled behind the island, practical y gagging themselves on a couple of hand towels. I couldnt believe Patrick was this oblivious to the scene taking place behind him, but as I neared the table and found it brimming with every kind of breakfast food one could come across in their lives, I understood why he was so preoccupied.
Im just splendid, he answered, heaving a ladle of gravy over a few biscuits. Im stil feeling John Townsends nastiness drifting around in me like a resident poltergeist, got to watch the girl I had it bad for get hitched to my brother, and Im now official y the third wheel no matter who Im hanging out with in the family.
Wil iam stiffened about mid-way through Patricks rant, but it was relieved by a gentle nudge from me.
Good morning to you, too, happy, I said, coming around the table so we were directly across from him.
Yeah, yeah, I get youre blissful y happy and just awakened from the greatest night of your existences and plan to rub it in my face, but”he final y glanced up as he was plucking a few fruit skewers from a vase”Il have you know my night wasnt so bad . . .”this time he didnt glance when he looked back at us, he stared, blinking to make sure he was seeing things right”. . . either, he finished, his eyes shifting between Wil iams and mine, the plate fal ing from his hands, but Abigails swift hand caught it before it shattered to the ground.