Runs in the Blood, Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

The ride back to San Francisco was quiet, both lost in their own thoughts and just enjoying the other's presence. They passed through San Jose quickly, there being little traffic at night. Once Anton passed the Stanford Linear Accelerator, he reached over and placed his hand on Bryn's thigh. "What are you thinking, my dear?"
"Not much." She kept her gaze trained out the side window. "Chandra was nice."
He turned his head to look at her. "Yeah, she is. I don't think I've ever heard her say a mean word about anyone. Except, maybe, Mack." He laughed a bit. "So what did you think of Mack?"
She was quiet for a moment. "I honestly think his horse liked me better than he did."
"Where did you get that idea, my dear?"
"Well, he seemed more interested in talking to you. And he is the grandson of one of your wives. I couldn't help but think he was comparing me to her the whole time."
Anton shook his head. "I still don't understand why you'd think that."
"He just sat there and stared at me the whole time like he was waiting for me to rip off my face and reveal a little green man." She sighed, fidgeting with her fingernail. "I just...I had the feeling he was waiting for me to mess up somehow, so he could prove to you that I wasn't good enough for you. I felt like I was sitting in front of a one-man jury, and he was about to find me guilty."
"My dear, he was doing no such thing." Anton started pulling the car over onto one of the side roads.
"What are you doing, Anton?"
He killed the engine and turned on the interior light and flipped down the sun visor on the passenger side. "Look into the vanity mirror there, Bryn. Tell me what you see."
She looked up in the mirror, a bit confused by his request. "I see... me."
"That's right. The woman I love. The woman who has been through so much, and is all the stronger for it. The woman who has consented to be my wife, and through a miracle, is giving me a child. The woman I don't ever want to think that she's not worthy of me, and who shouldn't give a damn if others think she isn't." He smiled tenderly. "And besides, he does like you. He's just got a strange way of showing it."
She couldn't quite meet her own gaze in the mirror, or his either. She reached out and grasped his hand, staring at the window as she blinked rapidly. "But he barely said a word to me."
He almost didn't hear the softly whispered words. "He's a very cautious person, Bryn. Especially when it comes to fiancées and anything to do with marriage. Joanne hurt him very badly. He may joke around about it now, but that's because he's had five years with a woman who does love him. You should've seen the hell Chandra went through just to get him to talk to her. And she had to work with him every day."
"But that's different."
"I know it is, but he was the same way with me. And he's the same way with everyone else he meets. He doesn't just dive into relationships with people. He stands on the sidelines until he thinks he has a good picture of what they're truly like." He reached out and touched her cheek, making her turn towards him. Her eyes were deep sea blue in the overhead light. "You know what else? It wouldn't have mattered to me even if he didn't like you."
"That's not true. He's like your family, Anton. He's your best friend. I'm just a hick from Pennsylvania who happened to stumble across your path one day."
"Bryn, you are many things, and a hick is definitely not one of them." His face was solemn as he took her hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of it. "Bryn, you are about to become both my wife and the mother of my child. I think that rates a little higher on the family scale than best friend."
She looked away from him, sniffling. "But what if I want to be both? You've never...you've never said that back to me, Anton. I've told you--" Her voice cracked a bit. "Why can't I be your friend, too?"
"I...I'm sorry, Bryn. I didn't even think..." He paused and swallowed. "I guess I tend think of my lovers and best friends as separate categories. I mean... of course I think of you as my best friend as well as my lover. I just thought you knew it." He raised her hand to his lips, brushing over the back of it. "I'm sorry, Bryn. Forgive me?"
She chanced looking back at his face, but her eyes grew too watery for her to focus. "I thought that you...I was afraid that you didn't think that, and you were just avoiding telling me." She covered her mouth as a sob escaped. "Are there any tissues in here?
He twisted around to look in the back. Anton grunted slightly, stretching to reach the tissue box sitting on the seat. "Here you are, my dear. I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much this meant to you," he said, handing her the box.
"The tissues?" Bryn asked, not quite following him.
"No," he said with a slight laugh. "Me telling you that you're my best friend. You are, you know. I'm sorry that I didn't make that clearer."
She blew her nose, leaving her eyes to dry on their own. "It's okay. It's just me being an insecure dope." She chewed on her lower lip. "I know you love me, Anton. I just...I sometimes get worried about how much. I guess I get to thank my parents for that, too."
"It's okay, Bryn." He gently cupped the side of her face. "You are my best friend, and I love you so much." Anton leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. "So what do you say that we go home, finish working on our wedding invitations and..."
"And what?" she asked, still sniffling a little.
"And then I'll show you exactly how much I love you."
She smiled at him through a fresh round of tears. "I love you so much, Anton."

After picking up a few groceries on the way home, Lindy walked into the kitchen and set about restocking the cupboards. She called to Nate but got no reply. Figuring he was still sleeping, she decided to climb the stairs and wake him. Yet when she got to the bed, it was empty. The bathroom door was open a crack, with loud music spilling out into the bedroom. Walking towards it, she heard his
shaver turn on and opened the door. She got more than an eyeful as she looked into the room.
Standing in front of the sink, completely nude, Nate didn't even hear her enter. Her jaw dropped in shock. Ever since she'd moved in, he'd always been careful to wear a towel when he was in the bathroom. Obviously, since she hadn't been home when he woke up, he didn't think it was necessary. It took her a moment to blink her way out of her stupor, but she definitely had to agree.
Her gaze traveled leisurely down his back, pausing at his ass. She'd known his butt was magnificent in jeans and slacks, but those didn't even begin to hint at what was underneath. She could feel her nostrils flaring slightly, pulling in the clean scent of him. And when her eyes traveled slightly further down, glimpsing what was hanging between his legs, she couldn't help but convulsively swallow.
[Hell-o Nathaniel...]
She must have made a slight sound, but how he heard her above Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' was a mystery to her. Nate turned and let out a surprised squawk, dropping the razor. "Lindy! I didn't hear you come in."
"Obviously." Now that he was aware of her presence, Lindy was trying to look anywhere but at him. She thought after all the time they had spent together and how gentle he had been with her, that she wouldn't panic the first time she saw him fully undressed. She was wrong. "I... I'll be out in the bedroom," she said, stumbling backwards. Practically running, she bolted out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Sinking onto the bed, she rested her head on her hand, one arm wrapped around her stomach, trying to control her shaking.
She heard the music turn off a second or two later, and then the door opened. She looked away quickly, hoping he wouldn't still be nude, and luckily she could see out of the corner of her eye that he'd put on a towel.
"Lindy, I--" He waved his hand uselessly, keeping the other securely latching his towel. "I'm sorry. I wasn't even thinking. I--I'll get dressed."
Turning, he opened one of the drawers of the dresser and pulled out a pair of sweats and some underwear. Casting one more guilt-ridden glance at her, he quickly headed back to the bathroom.
"Nate, you don't--"
"No, it was my fault. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Nate, it's not your fault." Shaking finally under control, she took a deep breath. "Damn it! You'd think after last night I'd be handling this better."
He walked over to the bed and sat beside her, leaving a few inches between them. "What happened? Why did you run?"
"I don't know," she said. "I was just... admiring... what I was seeing and you turned towards me and all of the sudden all I can do is run away."
"Oh." He was quiet for a moment. "Did you have the same reaction, when you saw Anton naked?"
She nodded, blushing a little. "Not quite at first, because Bryn was there and kept me distracted. But when he started to..." she trailed off. Biting her lip, and thinking that Nathaniel probably didn't need to hear all the details of who did what to whom that night, she skipped forward a bit. "I, uh, froze up. I guess it was some sort of flashback. Bryn ended up talking me out of it."
"Well, at least I know it's not just me."
She touched his arm, a little worried about his dejected tone. "It has nothing to do with you, Nate. It's all in my head."
He sighed. "So what do we do about it? Never touch each other except when we have clothes on?" He scratched his wet head. "I mean, I'm willing to do that, Lindy, if that's what has to happen, but I've got to tell you that it's going to be frustrating as hell."
"I *know* that, Nate. And I don't know what to do." She wiped at tears that were starting to run down her cheeks. "Damn it, I knew that this was going to happen."
"That what was going to happen?"
Her voice was strained as she answered his question. "That I'd panic or something, and you'd realize that I'm nothing more than damaged goods and not worth it."
"Jesus, is that what you think?" He wanted to pull her into his arms, but considering what he was wearing, he settled for rubbing his hand over her back. "Lindy, I would castrate myself if you asked me to. Well, maybe not literally--hell, yeah, I would. Are you listening to me? I'm not sitting here with you because all I want is a roll in the hay. If that was all I wanted, I would've taken it the first time you offered and then walked away." He leaned over and kissed her temple, pulling her closer so she could hear his softly spoken words. "I'm here with you because I love you more than anything, and I'm going to marry you, and you are worth a dozen vows of chastity if that's what it takes for you to feel safe with me."
She turned to look him in the eye. "You really mean that?"
He nodded. "I'd swear to it on my mother's grave if you asked."
"That won't be necessary, Nate." She sighed and leaned against him. "I guess part of what happened was I wasn't prepared to see you naked, or at least not right at that moment."
He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "But you liked what you saw, right?"
She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out. Before he could frown too much at her, she nodded. "Yes."
He moved his hand up to her hair, lightly combing his fingers through it. With his lips against her temple, he murmured, "I guess that's a start."
She ran her fingers across his chest, meeting his gaze when he shivered beneath her touch. She swallowed at his heavy-lidded stare. "You're, uh--" She couldn't quite say it. Instead, she gestured with her eyes. "Your towel..."
He glanced down at the noticeable tenting in the middle of his towel and blushed. "Sorry." Standing up, he grabbed his sweats and started heading towards the bathroom once more. "I'll be back in a few."
"No, Nate, wait." She grabbed his wrist, halting him. She pushed the words out before she choked on them. "I've got to get used to seeing you undressed, especially if we're going to be spending eternity together. Besides, I'm still dressed and you're naked... just like in our agreement."
He searched her face, seeing the desire and the hesitancy. "You sure, Lindy?" When she nodded, he leaned back on the bed, resting on his elbows. "Then go ahead and explore to your heart's content."
She took a deep breath and swallowed, reaching for the folded edge of his towel. She noticed his fingers tighten on the comforter below him, as if restraining himself from touching her. Oddly, it was reassuring. Pulling the tucked end of the towel loose, she decided the band-aid method was probably the best approach. Ripping it off all at once was definitely less painful.
Then again, as the opened towel settled on the opposite side of the bed, pain was the last thing on her mind. And suddenly her mouth was watering. She couldn't look at his face. She knew he was watching her, no doubt seeing her eyes widen as she took in all of him. She couldn't seem to stop staring at his erection. [Shhh-wing!]
Hesitantly, she reached out with a finger, jumping when his cock twitched even before she made contact. She traced along the prominent vein from the glans to the base. Nate let out a heavy sigh, which turned into a purr as she cupped his balls. Carefully, she toyed with them, getting used to their weight in her hand. "Mmmm...I like that, gorgeous. Keep doing that and I'll cum for you in no time at all."
She smirked, but still didn't meet his gaze. Scooting a bit closer, she settled her other hand just above his groin. His stomach clenched under her for a moment before relaxing once more. She wasn't quite trying to excite him as she ran her fingers over his cock, but the fact that he was breathing heavily seemed to be a bonus. She wanted to learn every texture of him, right down to the veins that throbbed beneath her fingers. She ran her thumb over the velvety soft head and was rewarded with a gasp. Before long he was leaking precum, like a luminous pearl. She watched with amazement as it grew then finally became too heavy and rolled lazily down the side. Faced with a sudden urge she'd never felt before, she leaned over him and touched her tongue to the slippery liquid, making a sound that she'd never heard before leave Nate's mouth.
Intrigued by the taste of him, she ran her tongue along his velvety shaft. She heard him cry out again and felt his hips twitch upwards. Her eyes slit open in time to see Nate's knuckles turn white as he twisted the comforter beneath them. Amazed that her touch could provoke such a reaction in him, she kissed the tip of his cock before letting it slide between her lips.
"Nnuuuh...Lindy?" He gasped, pulling in a gulp of air. "You--uh, you sure you wanna do that?"
She didn't answer him as she continued to lap at the head of cock, her lips wrapped lightly around the crown. She could feel him twitching, his hips rocking just slightly to move him a millimeter or so in and out of her mouth. Holding him firmly at the base of his cock, trying to keep him from thrusting too deeply, she cautiously took a little bit more of his length, swirling her tongue around him, making him moan loudly.
"L-Lind...baby, you better...God, I'm gonna cum..."
She was concentrating so intently on his taste and texture that the words didn't register right away. She lapped at him one more time and pulled away to ask him to repeat what he just said when Nate arched beneath her, giving a strangled cry. She watched wide-eyed as his cock twitched and he orgasmed, his cum splashing onto his belly.
Nate lay there panting for several minutes, trying to return to some semblance of control. He opened his eyes, smiling widely at Lindy. She bit her lip, coloring slightly, but held his gaze. "Well, gorgeous, looks like I'm going to need another shower."

Sitting on the bed, Bryn shook her hand violently and tried to lessen the cramps in her joints from writing for nearly an hour with a ball-point pen. Ever since they'd returned home, she'd been working on printing and addressing the wedding invitations they'd designed. Or rather, she'd designed. She wasn't quite willing to give Anton credit for helping by saying, "That looks nice, my dear." At least now he really was helping, on the phone with an airline receptionist as he made reservations for their flight back to Pennsylvania a week before the wedding.
Reaching for another cookie from the plate in front of her, and frowning when she realized there were none left, Bryn looked at him impatiently, waiting for him to get off the phone. A few minutes later, the tickets were apparently booked.
"Sugar, will you get me some more cookies? Please?" she asked sweetly, as he hung up the phone.
"More? You had a whole plate full of them." When her eyes started to narrow, he put his hands up in surrender. "All right, fine. More cookies, coming up."
"A glass of milk might be nice, too. Chocolate milk would be even better."
A "Yes, my dear" floated back to her as he walked out of the room. While she waited, she counted the invitations, sighing at how many were left and the cramp in her hand. When Anton returned, he was carrying a full plate of cookies and a glass of white milk. "Sorry, my dear. We appear to be out of chocolate milk. Do you want me to run to the store and get some?"
Sabryn frowned but took what was in his hands anyway. "No, that's okay. Thank you."
He nodded, moving around to the other side of the bed. "Almost done with those?"
She shook her head slightly, the milk glass at her lips. She swallowed before saying, "My hand hurts. It's too bad emails don't pass for wedding invitations."
"They probably will some day." He stretched out on the bed. "So, what else needs to be done?"
"You need to decide if you want to charter a plane. Plus you need to make an appointment for getting your tuxedo. We can go over to Macy's afterwards and fill out the registration stuff."
Anton nodded lazily. "It will be easiest to charter a plane as far as traveling during the day. What we need to decide is where we're visiting when." He sat up and reached out to take her hand, massaging the tendons. "Are you all right, Bryn? You seem a little stressed."
She rubbed her eyes with her other hand. "Yeah, I'm just tired. There's a lot of stuff to do and only a month left." She paused for a moment. "Anton, what day is today?"
"May thirty-first. Why?"
She groaned, shoving the invitations off her lap and sinking further into the pillow behind her. "Tomorrow is June."
"Yeah, and?"
She stared at him, waiting for the reality of the situation to sink in. After a moment or two, he closed his eyes. "Oh. One month before the wedding."
She bit her lip. "Well, technically, the one month doesn't really begin until the fourth."
"Thank God for technicalities." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I don't want you to overstress yourself, my dear." He kissed her ear, brushing her hair out of the way with his nose. "Now do you want to make the most of those four days, Bryn, or do you need to rest?"
She yawned. "I think I'll rest." As the half-smile on his face dropped, she giggled. "What do you think I'd rather do, Anton?"
He shook his head. "That wasn't funny." Reaching for the scattered invitations, he started making a pile. "Let's put this stuff away before you have to start them all over again."
"Me?"
"We," he quickly corrected, adding a grin.
Rolling her eyes, she put the cap back on her pen and threw the aggravating thing to the floor. Once he'd piled up all of the addressed envelopes and the blanks, she set those next to her nightstand. Turning back over to face him, she smirked. "Now you better give me something to really be tired from."
"I think I might be able to do that," he said with a lazy grin. "Now, you and Chandra were discussing the mating habits of animals and men earlier, right?" He slipped a hand under her shirt to stroke the soft skin of her stomach.
"Yeah," Bryn said a bit warily, not certain where he was going with the question.
He leaned over to nip at her lower lip. "So how would you like to do it doggy style?"
She shuddered slightly, a slow smile crossing her face. "I can honestly say I never expected those words to come out of your mouth, Anton."
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"Hmm...it's a yes, on one condition." She leaned forward a bit, her lips brushing against his ear. "You have to keep talking dirty to me, sugar. I like that." She grinned at his reaction as she traced her tongue around the outside of his ear, before pulling the soft lobe into her mouth.
He didn't seem capable of saying much at the moment, so she took full advantage of his distraction to unzip his pants and slip her hand inside.
"Mmmmm." He pushed against her hand. "You keep doing that, my dear, and I'm not going to be able to think, let alone talk dirty to you." His own hand slipped up to trace the pads of his fingers along the edge of her bra. "You're wearing that white bra, my dear? Do you know how hot you look when wearing that?"
Bryn giggled a little. "It's cotton, sugar. It's not like it's silk or satin," she said as Anton worked the turtleneck up over her head.
"Ah, but it clings to your breast so nicely." Anton reached down to trace along her cleavage. "Outlines every curve, and does nothing to hide your nipples when you're excited." He circled his finger around the peak, making her nipple tighten even further. "See what I mean, my dear?"
"Mmm..." She leaned into his touch, pulling her hand out of pants to reach for the hem of his polo shirt. Once he'd helped her pull it out of the way and drop it to the floor, she lifted herself up slightly and pressed her lips to his chest. "Do you have any idea how sexy you are, Anton?"
Still teasing her through her bra, he shook his head and raised an eyebrow.
"You've never seen the way the other women stare at you when we're out in public?" She nipped her way down his stomach, teasing his navel with her tongue until he flinched. "They're all jealous of me. They look at you like they're undressing you. I bet every one of them wants to know what you look like nude." She tugged open the button on his jeans, shoving them down his hips, and sliding her fingers across the fabric of his boxers. "They wonder how big and gorgeous your cock is. What it feels like to be fucked by you. How long it would take you to make them scream."
"And they'll never know. You're the only one I want to hear scream." His hands slipped around her back to start toying with the clasp of her bra. "Did you know that men stare at you that way too. Yeah, they do," Anton said when Sabryn shook her head. He slid the bra off of her, groaning a bit as he looked at her bare breasts. "And I know exactly what they are thinking. They're wondering if your nipples are as pink as your lips. What your sex feels like rippling over their cocks. If they can last long enough to bring you to orgasm, or if they're going to cum like a nervous teen fucking for the first time." He bent down to tug lightly at her nipples, nipping gently.
She whimpered, tangling her fingers in his hair, her legs ready to give out beneath her. "Oh, sugar, you're getting me so wet. I can feel my panties sticking to me." She let out a little sob as he pulled harder on her nipple. "God, it aches. My clit is throbbing, Anton."
He looked up her, his eyes heavy lidded and his mouth lax with arousal. Pulling her closer, he kissed her mouth, his hands on her back and her ass, crushing her breasts against his chest. She slid her other hand into his boxers, grabbing his ass, making his hips thrust against her.
"I can't wait to feel you fucking me." Her voice was little more than a whisper against his ear. "Your cock always feels so good. Stretching me, filling me. Sometimes it feels so good it hurts. And I just want to beg you to fuck me harder, and faster."
"And you'll have your chance in a moment, my dear." He pushed her away enough so he could get his hands down to the fly of her jeans and started to unzip the fly slowly. "I love it when you wear tight jeans, Bryn. The really tight ones that show off your ass so wonderfully. But I enjoy even more stripping them off of you." He pushed the denim past down her hips, almost to her knees. His hand cupped her crotch, stroking her though the cotton. "God you're so wet."
She gripped his shoulders, leaning forward to press her forehead against his neck. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could stand. Just his touch alone was enough to get her hot most days, but, with the added sound of his voice and the images his words produced, she was shaking like a leaf. She let out a strangled moan as his finger slipped beneath the leg band of her panties to slide gently back and forth over her clit. She tightened her grip on him, managing to lift her head enough to meet his gaze.
"Anton, I can't do this much longer. You're killing me."
He pressed his lips to hers, growling slightly as Bryn whimpered. Sucking on her tongue, he tangled his hands in her underwear and pulled them down. He pulled away long enough to glance over her, taking in her heaving chest and trembling thighs. "On your hands and knees, my dear." He couldn't take his eyes off of her, jaw open as she turned and presented her ass to him. He grabbed her and ran his thumbs over her hipbones. "You have any idea how beautiful you are?"
She turned to look at him over her shoulder. "No...and why does that sound oddly suspicious when you're looking at the wrong end?" He laughed softly. "Looks like the right end from here." She snorted. "Yeah, I have a butt that would make Jennifer Lopez jealous." "It's perfect," he murmured, running his fingers over the creases where her legs and butt met. She flinched slightly as he drew closer to her sex. He could feel her trembling against his touch. "So hot and wet. That's incredible. Feels like I could get burned." She turned to look at him once more, her eyebrows raised in question. "Anton, please?"
He chuckled. "Yes, ma'am." He shoved down his shorts. He grabbed her hips as he lifted up on his knees. He shuddered when he felt her wet heat against his cock. Adjusting his angle slightly, he pushed, feeling her resist and then give. Then he was surrounded by tight, wet heat. "God, Bryn. Do you have any idea how tight you are?"
Her head was hanging down low, her hair falling around her face, her shoulder blades bunched together. For a moment he didn't think she was going to reply. Finally she turned her head to the side and pushed her hair out of the way. Her voice was a little shaky as she said, "You ever think that maybe it's not me who's tight, but you who's big? God, Anton, I could barely breathe when you pushed inside me. I thought you were going to rip me in half, that night in Santa Cruz."
Anton grunted and began to thrust. "You have no idea how hard I was trying to hold back. Especially when you started sucking my cock. You've got a sweet mouth, Bryn, perfect for kissing or fucking. Or kissing while fucking."
She couldn't speak. She couldn't seem to do anything but moan as he moved inside of her. It was amazing to think, from that single night over a year ago, they'd be here like this. Nearly married and soon-to-be parents. At the time she'd been so afraid, so resistant of feeling anything towards him but lust. And now...she couldn't imagine even taking a breath without his presence in her life. She was so completely consumed with love for him. It wasn't just the sex, or the lust, or the dirty words that reduced her to trembling wreck. It was Anton, the man she loved more than anything, making love to her. The rest was just icing on the cake.
Still, that didn't mean she didn't shake all the harder as his hands tightened on her hips. As she felt his balls slapping against her over-sensitized flesh. As he leaned down and nipped at the area between her shoulder blades.
"Oh God, Anton, you feel amazing."
He could only moan in answer, clutching tighter at her hips. She was gripping him tight with each thrust, and he wasn't certain how much longer he would be able to hold on to his control. But he was going to make damn sure that when he orgasmed, she would as well. "What do you need to cum, Bryn?"
She spread her legs a little further apart on the comforter, leaning forward onto her forearm. With one hand free, she reached between her legs and stroked her fingers across the slippery surface of her clit. He could feel her tighten even more around him as her body reacted to the stimulation. "It's okay, just cum for me, Anton."
He let out another low moan, his legs starting to tremble from the strain. He pushed up off of her body, jerking her hips back against his, trying to get as deep in her as he could. "Ugh... God... Bryn!"
She shrieked as he stabbed into her that last time, her knees almost leaving the bed with the force. Her entire body shook in his hands, clenching down around him, a loud cry leaving her mouth. She felt suspended in mid-air, convulsing, as he gave one last burst inside of her. When his grip finally loosened, she nearly sank to her stomach beneath him. He caught her, gently easing her down as he settled on top of her, trying to catch his breath. Sobbing as she came down from her high, she grabbed his hand and held on tight.
Head resting above her shoulder blades, he concentrated for the moment on slowing his breathing. But the soft sobbing caught his attention. He gently squeezed her hand. "Bryn, is there something wrong? Did I hurt you?"
She shook her head, closing her eyes. "No, I'm fine." She licked her lips, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "It was just...intense. Couldn't catch my breath. I don't know...if I can move."
He slid off of her, resettling on his side facing her. "I know exactly what you mean, my dear." Gently he stroked her back. "I love you so much, Bryn." He raised the hand he was holding to his lips.
She smiled, somehow managing to inch closer so she could nuzzle her face against his neck. "I love you, too." She kissed his Adam's apple, rubbing her fingers over his chest. "So when do we do it again?"
"Again?" His tone was a little more than astonished.
She let out a laugh. "We've only got four days, sugar. We better use them wisely. I don't think I'm going to get a single hour's sleep in the coming month. I'll be too busy staring at you, wishing I could touch you."
"And I'll be staring right back, my dear. You realize it will take nothing short of a miracle for us to not jump each other in the upcoming month." He gave a heavy sigh. "We're going to be lucky if I don't take you at the altar."
Bryn snorted, shaking with laughter. "Guess we'd better put a triple-X warning on the wedding invitations." She leaned closer, leisurely kissing his mouth. "Fortunately, miracles seem to favor us."

Lindy sat back against the car seat, arms folded over her chest. "So you're not telling me where we're going?"
Nathaniel shook his head, a devilish grin on his face. "Nope, gorgeous. You're going to have to be patient and trust me a little while longer."
Lindy sighed a little. Trust came hard to her in both little things as well as large. Although she did trust Nathaniel, not knowing where they were heading was irking her to no end. She hated feeling in the dark and out of control.
He pulled into a parking garage and got out of the car, tossing the keys to the attendant before walking around to let her out of the car. "After you, gorgeous," he said, holding the door open.
Lindy got out of the car. "Then we're gonna stand here until you let me in on where we're going."
Nate put his arm around her waist. "You'll see." Guiding her out of the garage, they passed several trendy restaurants, still packed at this late hour, a few tourist shops, and a tattoo and body piercing shop. It was the last place he opened the door to.
She turned her head to stare at him. "I don't know what you're doing, Nate, but I'm not getting my nipples or anything south of there pierced."
He laughed. "Relax. You're just here to watch."
"A lesson in the fine art of needle masochism?"
"Something like that." He walked up to the front desk, behind which stood a short purple-haired girl with just about every orifice on her face pierced. "Hi. I have a nine-fifteen appointment with Jay."
"That would be me," she said, her tongue sparkling as she spoke. Flipping through the appointment book, she pointed her finger on the page. "You're Nate?"
He nodded, watching a frown crease Lindy's forehead. She glanced around the room in partial mortification, looking at the skulls, dragons, and tacky roses pictured for the customers.
"Right this way," Jay said, gesturing for him to follow her. Nate grabbed Lindy's hand, pulling her along behind him as he entered the smaller room. There was a large chair in the middle, looking something like the seats in a dentist's office. He sat down, gesturing for her to take a seat in one of the spare chairs next to the wall. Sitting down on the stool between Nate's chair and the cabinet of inks, Jay looked over her notes. "You wanted number P335, right?"
"Right, but with the moon behind it."
She nodded. "Just below your shoulder, to cover up a previous tat?"
"Yep."
Lindy blinked, still confused. "You're getting another tattoo, Nate?"
"No, I'm getting the old one covered up. Always did regret it after I sobered up."
"So what are you getting to replace it? And how do you know you won't regret this one as well."
He gave her a wide grin. "You'll see, and trust me, I won't."
Jay stood up, taking her notes with her. "I'll be right back with the stencil."
Lindy watched her walk out of the room. "She's...interesting."
Nate smirked. "That's how most of them learn their craft, by practicing on each other."
"Maybe later you can get your scrotum pierced."
He winced, crossing his legs. "Jeez, Lind."
She giggled, and Jay walked back into the room. Placing the stencil on the cabinet, she grabbed an unmarked bottle filled with colored solution.
"Which arm is it?"
"This one," he said, patting the arm furthest from her.
She nodded, grabbing the bottom of the chair he was in and spinning him around to face the other direction. She rolled his sleeve up, then used a pink razor to make sure his skin was as hair-free as possible. Lindy couldn't see any hair there, but she supposed it was necessary anyway. One shaved, Nate's arm was sprayed the solution, a cleaner, and wiped dry. Pressing the stencil into place, Jay wiped it with the cloth as well, pulling away the paper, leaving a dark impression of the tattoo design behind.
Looking at Lindy, as if she could clearly see she was a beginner, Jay said, "We'll do the outline first, and then fill in the moon. He'll have to come back in a week to get the rest done."
Lindy nodded. "How long do you think this will take?"
Jay shrugged. "Probably three hours tonight." She picked up the tattooing gun, loading it with ink.
Testing the needle, she scooted back to where Nate sat. With a paper towel ready in one of her gloved hands, to wipe away any excess blood, she placed her other hand on his arm and pressed down on the foot-triggered motor. The buzzing of the needle made Lindy jump, but Nate didn't even flinch as the sharp tip bit into his skin. Jay worked quietly, filling out a portion of the outline, before frowning and letting up her foot pressure. As the needle stopped its annoying buzzing, she looked at Nate curiously.
"You're not even bleeding."
He gave a self-conscious laugh. "I, uh--I've always been a pretty quick healer."
After a moment, she shrugged and went back to her task. Filling in the outline seemed to take forever. Every so often, she'd wet the cloth in her hand and wipe away part of the original stencil, checking her work on the ink left behind. Satisfied with her job so far, she continued.
Lindy shifted restlessly, wanting to see the results so far, but not wanting to be in the way. Sensing her need to move, Nate looked at her. "If you want to go look at some of the stores, you can go ahead and go. We'll be here a while. Just be careful, okay?"
"I will." She leaned down to kiss his lips. "I'll wait for you outside then, okay?"
"Okay."
With a slight backwards glance, she walked out of the room, and out of the tattoo parlor. Looking up and down the street, she started walking back the way they came. Idly she looked into the storefront windows, trying to pass the time while Nate got whatever-it-was inked on his arm. Not finding anything to hold her interest, she started to walk on when a sign for a jewelry shop caught her eye. She looked down at the engagement ring on her finger. [I do need to find something for him,] she thought, crossing the street and pushing the door open.
The salesperson was talking to a young couple. "I'll be with you in a few minutes," he called out. Lindy nodded and started looking at the jewelry displays. The first case had more traditional wedding bands and sets in it. Not anything cheap, but nothing unusual. Lindy's lips twitched as she moved on, glancing over the various settings and stones, not really seeing anything she liked.
"Can I help you?"
Lindy started. She hadn't heard the woman walk up behind her, which was odd considering she could hear just about anyone coming a mile away. Glancing down at the stout brown-skinned woman, her eyes pausing momentarily as she noticed the purple turban on her head, she smiled.
"I'm looking for a wedding ring for my fiancé."
The woman gave her a mystical smile, reveal one gold tooth of the bottom. "I think I know exactly what you want."
Lindy watched her walk behind the counter and disappear into the back room. She had a slight accent, nothing she could place. Sitting down on one of the benches, she waited. A minute or so later, the woman returned, polishing a ring with a soft cloth.
"I've been savin' this one for someone special. I knew you'd come in sooner or later." Lindy frowned a bit, but didn't say a word. She'd never seen the woman before. Sitting down across from her, her fingers glittering with various jeweled rings of every size, the sales woman smiled again. "This is the one you've been looking for, isn't it?"
Lindy looked down at the sapphire and diamond ring, and then back up at the woman with wide eyes.
"Go on," the woman said, offering her the ring. "You'll find it's a perfect match to the diamond you're wearing."
[How did she know it was a diamond?] Most of the people she had shown it to assumed it was a sapphire. Lindy took the ring and slid it onto her middle finger, comparing the stones. The channel set sapphire was flanked on either side by slightly smaller white diamonds. And it was almost an exact match for her ring. "It's perfect. How much?"
The woman smiled again. "You would pay ten times its price, if I asked it of you. This one, this man of yours...he's special. Lucky for you, the ring is worth only of a fraction of his value."
Taking back the ring, she unfolded the tag that was rolled around its band and showed Lindy the price written on it. $2,475.00
Lindy swallowed heavily, digging into her purse. She couldn't help shaking a bit as she handed over her credit card. "I hope there's enough on here to cover it."
"This is your lucky day. I can feel it."
With those cryptic words, she disappeared into the back room once more. Leaving Lindy staring at the ring in her hand.
She turned her hand from side to side, watching the light reflect off of it. [What if he doesn't like it? I don't even know if I'll have to get it resized.] She was lost in her thoughts, so she jumped when she heard the woman's voice. "It's been approved," she announced, setting the tray holding the credit card, payment slip, and pen in front of her
[How does she move so quietly?] Lindy mused. She picked up the pen and paused, uncertain.
"Child, he will love the ring, as well as any gift you give him, almost as much as he loves you."
Swallowing, she scribbled her name on the payment slip.
The woman boxed up the ring, placing it in a bag. Handing it over, she said, "Have a wonderful life, Ms. Lindy."
She smiled, still a little shaken, and thanked her. Walking out of the store, she headed back to the tattoo parlor. She waited for Nate nervously, with a magazine in her lap but unable to read it. She opened the jewelry box at least a dozen times, biting her lip, hoping to God he really liked it. The whole ten minutes, it couldn't have been more than that, had been incredibly odd. How could she have possibly known this was the right ring?
It was almost midnight when Nate finally came out of the room. All of the other stores on the street had been closing down, their lights turning off as she sat there waiting. With his sleeve pulled back into place, he glanced down at the bag she was holding and smiled.
"What'cha got there?"
She smiled. "Nothing."
He tilted his head, reading the name of the jewelry store on the front of the bag. He grinned. "So you met Edie?"
"Edie?"
"Yeah, Edie. Wears a turban and has a gold tooth. She owns the jewelry store you claim you didn't by anything from."
"Yeah, I did, I mean.... wait a minute." Lindy took in his wide grin and the strange conversation with Edie started to make sense. "You set me up!"
He put his hand over his heart, as if insulted. "I did not. I didn't *make* you go in that store. You walked in there on your own two feet."
"But you made sure I would, by suggesting it."
"Hey, a little suggestion never hurt anyone." He leaned closer and peered in the bag. "Did you get it?"
"As if I'm going to give it to you, now! I'm taking this thing back first thing tomorrow morning."
"Lind, come on." His voice was starting to sound a little whiny. "All I did was make a few suggestions and tell her to keep an eye out if a gorgeous blond with blue eyes and a blue ring on her finger walked in the door. You did the rest."
"You made me think I was picking this out on my own!"
"No, I didn't. I was sitting here the whole time. I don't know what she told you, but I looked at that ring a few nights ago. So I steered you in that direction a little...so what?" He shrugged. "Whether you went in there or not was up to you." He bounced a little, like a kid waiting impatiently for his new toy to be taken out of the package. "Are you gonna put it on me, or not?"
Lindy snorted. "I should make you sleep on the couch for the next month for pulling this stunt. But why should I punish myself for what you did?" She pulled the jewelry box out of the bag. "Give me your hand."
Both sets of hands were trembling as she placed the ring on his finger. It fit perfectly. "Damn," Nate said softly. "Edie even had it sized." He pulled Lindy close. "I love you, Lindy."
She jerked her head away when he tried to kiss her. "Don't think you're getting off so easily, Nate. And don't ever manipulate me like that again. I don't like it."
"That's not what you said when I *manipulated* you the other day," he said, waggling his eyebrows.
Lindy merely glared at him.
When his joke fell flat, he stuck his lower lip out. "All right, I'm sorry."
"Hmmph." She shook off his grip, heading for the door. "Let's go home."
"Aren't you even going to ask?"
"Ask what?" she called, over her shoulder.
"About the tattoo?"
She wanted to say no, but curiosity got the better of her. He quickly paid Jay, and then headed back to where she stood. "Go ahead, take a look."
Carefully lifting up his sleeve, making sure she didn't loosen the clear plastic- wrap bandaging over his tattoo, she stared open-mouthed at the image on his arm. She'd already known there would be a moon there, bright and luminescent blue, but she hadn't been expecting the howling golden wolf, nor the text written below it.
Forever Lindy.
She reached out and traced below the script letters. "My God, Nate. I had no idea... Is this done? I thought she said it would take another appointment."
"It would, if I were human. I'm already healed up and it doesn't even hurt. The bandage is for Jay's peace of mind rather than me trying to protect it while it heals." He reached out and caught her hand again. "I wanted something that let everyone who saw it know how I felt about you, but only a select few would get, if you know what I mean."
"I know what you mean," she whispered. She stared at it a little longer, biting her lip. Then she looked back down at the jewelry bag in her hand. "Oh hell...you're forgiven, Nate."
He grinned, pushing her out the door before stopping her on the sidewalk and kissing her senseless. He moaned against her mouth, holding her face between his hands. After a moment, he pulled back and looked at the ring on his finger.
"It really is perfect, Lind. And I love you more than anything. Thank you."
End Chapter Nineteen

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