Tessa. So he went through the mortal task of cooking.
He whipped the eggs in a bowl, added a touch of milk, and seasoned them with salt and pepper. They came out rather fluffy, and he was proud of the end result. The toast and ham came out nice, too. The kitchen was a mess, but he would leave that for housekeeping.
He set the table and used a bud vase for the centerpiece, plucking a daisy from the garden to fill it.
He returned to Tessa and saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, looking lost and alone.
His chest turned tight. He held out his hand, beckoning her. “Come eat.”
She perked up and followed him to the table. He sat across from her and watched her consume her meal.
“I forgot the juice.” He jumped up and took the carton out of the refrigerator and poured a tall glass for her.
“Thank you.” She smiled up at him.
He adored her smile. “Do you want to make love before we leave? Do you want to be together one last time?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“You could have asked me.”
“I wanted it to be your idea.”
“Hurry up and eat.”
She laughed. “I’ll get indigestion.”
“Okay, take your time.”
She hurried anyway, and apparently she felt just fine afterward. She even told him it was the best breakfast she’d ever had, simply because he’d prepared it.
He swept her to bed and peeled off her robe. He ditched his, too. He kissed her all over, worshiping every part of her.
As soon as he was inside her, she clung to him, holding him possessively close. She looked into his eyes, and he noticed how desperate she was to remain close. She wrapped her legs around him. He moved his hips, thrusting warm and deep.
Then she said, “I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
Her voice broke. “That I’m in love with you.”
Dear God. The room seemed to shift, like a house of cards, falling one by one, and crashing in on him. Clubs, spades, diamonds, hearts...
...lots of hearts.
“Say something, Anthony.”
He fought the very idea. The lurching pain. The utter impossibility. “You can’t love me. There’s no logic in it.”
“I can and I do.”
“I can’t stay with you, Tessa. This is the end for us.” An ending that had begun to make his head spin. He was still moving inside her, making incredible love.
“I’m not expecting this to make a difference in the outcome. I just wanted you to know how I feel.”
“I shouldn’t have let it happen.”
“You couldn’t have stopped me from feeling this way.”
She was right. He couldn’t even stop himself from burying his cock deeper or bringing their lovemaking to a riveting climax.
They came at the same time, at the same soul-stirring moment. He collapsed on top of her, body to body, heart to heart, and suddenly he knew that he loved her, too. But he didn’t say it. He forced it back, swallowing his revelation with the reality of what would never be.
They took a limo to the magic shop, but it wasn’t a rented vehicle. Anthony had created it, with a driver who was going to disappear, along with the car itself.
The final magic, Tessa thought. The final moment.
Once they arrived, they sat silently in the backseat. She clutched the pendant and gazed at him.
“This is goodbye,” she said.
He nodded and leaned forward to kiss her. Tears banked her eyes. How was she going to survive, never seeing him again, yet knowing that he was out there, granting wishes for other people?
“Embrace the world, Tessa,” he said, as if he’d just read her mind. “Become part of it.”
Rather than lie, she said, “I can’t.”
“Try. For me, okay?”
“I can’t,” she said again. As soon as the scars on her face returned, she would be the same damaged girl, only now she had scars on her heart, too.
She glanced over at The Chakra Circle, where her wish had begun. A “Welcome” sign shone brightly in the window. “Darrin is expecting me. I better go.” Dragging it out would make it more painful. Besides,
He whipped the eggs in a bowl, added a touch of milk, and seasoned them with salt and pepper. They came out rather fluffy, and he was proud of the end result. The toast and ham came out nice, too. The kitchen was a mess, but he would leave that for housekeeping.
He set the table and used a bud vase for the centerpiece, plucking a daisy from the garden to fill it.
He returned to Tessa and saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, looking lost and alone.
His chest turned tight. He held out his hand, beckoning her. “Come eat.”
She perked up and followed him to the table. He sat across from her and watched her consume her meal.
“I forgot the juice.” He jumped up and took the carton out of the refrigerator and poured a tall glass for her.
“Thank you.” She smiled up at him.
He adored her smile. “Do you want to make love before we leave? Do you want to be together one last time?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“You could have asked me.”
“I wanted it to be your idea.”
“Hurry up and eat.”
She laughed. “I’ll get indigestion.”
“Okay, take your time.”
She hurried anyway, and apparently she felt just fine afterward. She even told him it was the best breakfast she’d ever had, simply because he’d prepared it.
He swept her to bed and peeled off her robe. He ditched his, too. He kissed her all over, worshiping every part of her.
As soon as he was inside her, she clung to him, holding him possessively close. She looked into his eyes, and he noticed how desperate she was to remain close. She wrapped her legs around him. He moved his hips, thrusting warm and deep.
Then she said, “I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
Her voice broke. “That I’m in love with you.”
Dear God. The room seemed to shift, like a house of cards, falling one by one, and crashing in on him. Clubs, spades, diamonds, hearts...
...lots of hearts.
“Say something, Anthony.”
He fought the very idea. The lurching pain. The utter impossibility. “You can’t love me. There’s no logic in it.”
“I can and I do.”
“I can’t stay with you, Tessa. This is the end for us.” An ending that had begun to make his head spin. He was still moving inside her, making incredible love.
“I’m not expecting this to make a difference in the outcome. I just wanted you to know how I feel.”
“I shouldn’t have let it happen.”
“You couldn’t have stopped me from feeling this way.”
She was right. He couldn’t even stop himself from burying his cock deeper or bringing their lovemaking to a riveting climax.
They came at the same time, at the same soul-stirring moment. He collapsed on top of her, body to body, heart to heart, and suddenly he knew that he loved her, too. But he didn’t say it. He forced it back, swallowing his revelation with the reality of what would never be.
They took a limo to the magic shop, but it wasn’t a rented vehicle. Anthony had created it, with a driver who was going to disappear, along with the car itself.
The final magic, Tessa thought. The final moment.
Once they arrived, they sat silently in the backseat. She clutched the pendant and gazed at him.
“This is goodbye,” she said.
He nodded and leaned forward to kiss her. Tears banked her eyes. How was she going to survive, never seeing him again, yet knowing that he was out there, granting wishes for other people?
“Embrace the world, Tessa,” he said, as if he’d just read her mind. “Become part of it.”
Rather than lie, she said, “I can’t.”
“Try. For me, okay?”
“I can’t,” she said again. As soon as the scars on her face returned, she would be the same damaged girl, only now she had scars on her heart, too.
She glanced over at The Chakra Circle, where her wish had begun. A “Welcome” sign shone brightly in the window. “Darrin is expecting me. I better go.” Dragging it out would make it more painful. Besides,
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