“Keep at your clit, keep coming, baby,” Noc
grunted, still driving deep and forcing my play at my nipple with
his fingers.
“Noc,” I pushed out, continuing to toss on
the waves of the climax he was giving me.
He made my fingers twist my nipple while he
pulled and kept thrusting.
“Don’t stop coming,” he groaned.
“I…won’t,” I promised because I wasn’t.
I’d climax forever for him, if he wished, and
do it gladly.
“Fuck,” he bit off. “
Fuck
,” he
rasped.
He pulled my hand from my breast, forced his
torso through my legs so they slid off his chest and he landed on
me, burying his shaft deep and letting me watch the glorious
spectacle from up close as his head snapped back and his own
pleasure consumed him.
I rounded him with my limbs, twitching gently
with the aftershocks and then stroking him through his.
When they’d left him, he dropped his mouth to
mine and kissed me.
After he’d lifted his head, he asked quietly,
“You wanna snooze while I shower and do your thing after I drop you
at Valentine’s or you wanna get ready with me?”
“You’ll be away from me for the first time in
this world that’ll last any amount of time, my dearest, heralding
this being how it will continue to be. What do think I want to
do?”
His face grew warm as he cupped my cheek in
his palm and ran his thumb along my cheekbone.
“If that’s what you want, we gotta get a move
on, sweetheart.”
I nodded.
Noc kissed me again.
After, we got a move on.
* * * * *
Early that evening, I nearly sprang from my
seat in exaltation as, finally, after at least an hour of doing
everything in my power to call it up, a vision formed in my crystal
ball.
It was of a fine-looking, blond-haired,
blue-eyed man with a tall, well-formed frame and a highly
attractive manner.
Valentine’s lost lover.
It was no surprise she had good taste.
It was also no surprise she was clearly
blocking me.
What was a surprise was that I broke
through.
And now I somewhat understood her heartbreak
for he was exceptionally handsome.
However, I could read no more because the
image was fading fast, my blue smoke mingling with green taking it
away at the same time I felt a presence join me.
At who I knew that presence was, I turned
from my crystal and watched Noc sauntering in the room.
He smiled at me, glanced at my crystal ball
then returned his smile to me.
I rose from my seat and offered him my own
smile.
“Hello, darling. How was your first day with
your new employers?” I asked.
He arrived at me, rounding me with an arm and
bending his head to touch his lips to mine, all before he replied,
“Paperwork. Meetings with clients. Going over cases they’re
assigning me. Not exactly fun but they aren’t fucking around. They
want me in the field tomorrow so I’ll be getting to the good stuff
right away.”
I had no idea what “the good stuff” was but
seeing as he’d described it thus, I lifted a hand to his biceps and
murmured, “Excellent.”
Noc again looked to my magical orb, his smile
having dimmed, his eyes speculative when he returned his attention
to me.
“You spyin’ on Circe?” he queried.
I felt my frame stiffen slightly in affront
as my mouth tightened. “Of course not.”
“Then what are you up to with your crystal
ball?”
“Although time has passed, it would seem
Valentine is not healing from her heartbreak so I was looking into
that situation,” I shared.
Noc turned his gaze to the ceiling and
declared there, “She’s barely done meddling with one, she’s
starting in on the other.”
I put my other hand to his chest and gave it
a slight push, again earning his regard.
“She’s suffering,” I stated.
“Give it a rest,” he returned.
“If I can do something—”
His arm tightened and his other hand came up
to cup my jaw. “Baby,
give it a rest
. Circe is Circe. Sweet
and loving and unable to hold a grudge. Valentine is an entirely
different animal. I told you the play you made with Circe wasn’t
the right one and we both know how that went. Not gonna back down
on this. Valentine will lose her mind, you insinuate yourself in
her situation. She means something to you. She’s a good woman, even
if she doesn’t like to let that show. Don’t fuck with this.
Straight up, Frannie. Don’t. You do, she’ll carry that grudge, if
she can make it happen, she’ll do it magically from beyond the
grave. And what I mean by that is you’ll lose her.”
I felt my mouth tighten again because he was
probably right (probably).
Noc noted my nonverbal acceptance of his
statement and changed the subject.
“You get Circe sorted at the mall?”
I nodded, moving past what we’d just
discussed and I did it excitedly. “Yes, we bought her the most
divine
set of underwear. I’m quite certain Dax will be most
affected when he uncovers—”
Noc took one arm from around me and lifted
it, palm out. “Stop right there. That’s woman shit. I don’t need to
know about Circe’s underwear or what you figure Dax will do when he
sees it. I’ll go on to say that if she shares what he actually gets
down to doin’, I don’t wanna know that either.”
I decided to say no more.
Noc decided the opposite.
“I’m hungry and don’t feel like cooking or
hanging at a restaurant so you good with Chinese takeaway?”
I had no idea what Chinese takeaway was.
I still nodded.
“Josette with us?” he inquired.
I shook my head. “Glover’s picking her up
soon to take her to dinner.” I made my thoughts clear on the
subject of my next with my tone, “She’s spending the night tonight
at his place. As she did last night.”
Noc grinned.
I did not.
Noc noticed my lack of enthusiasm for this
and his grin got bigger.
However, he made no mention of it and simply
said, “Then let’s get home.”
Home
.
Yes.
I wanted to go there.
But only because that was where Noc wanted to
be.
For me home was a different thing.
For me, home was simply Noc.
* * * * *
I liked Chinese takeaway.
Very much.
The utensils Noc had great skill in using to
eat it I did not like because they were awkward. But I was
determined to master them because Noc said, “You should eat any
food the way it was meant to be eaten. Chinese doesn’t taste the
same with a fork. Trust me, it’s better with chopsticks.”
It was excellent as it was.
Therefore I was definitely going to master
chopsticks.
Dinner consumed, minimal cleanup achieved
(I’d even helped, but as it was simply rinsing plates to put in the
dishwasher, this was not difficult), we were lazing, cuddled on
Noc’s couch, watching what he called a “crime drama.”
I was inattentive to this drama.
Instead, I was what I’d been on and off all
day.
This being completely at a loss as to how to
broach the subject in a meaningful way (this being in a way I could
change his thinking entirely on the subject) of the issues I knew
in my soul were coloring Noc’s world.
Or more to the point, the way Noc viewed
himself in our world.
Issues I had no idea from where they
stemmed.
When approaching this same subject with me,
Noc faced it head on and made me do the same.
I did not think this same approach would be
welcomed from me.
I just knew I had to find an approach.
But for the first time in my lifetime, prying
into someone’s affairs, their emotions, their past, was not coming
easy.
Which made matters worse, since this time was
the most important I’d ever faced.
“She’s gonna be fine.”
Noc’s words pulled me from my reverie and I
turned my head to look at him where he was snuggled into me, his
front to my back.
“Sorry?”
His expression was gentle as was his
tone.
“Circe, sweetheart. You don’t have to worry.
She’s gonna be fine.”
I knew this. She was with Dax. He’d sink a
blade in his own heart before he’d do that first thing to make her
not
fine.
However, I hesitated sharing this with Noc
since I didn’t wish him to know what actually
was
on my
mind.
“You’re a million miles away, but you can
come back home. She’ll be good,” he continued to assure me.
“Of course,” I murmured noncommittally,
feeling some guilt I wasn’t assuaging his concerns by sharing the
truth.
“You can call her in the morning,” he
stated.
I nodded.
I also studied his face.
He liked that I was concerned about Circe (he
thought). He liked being nestled with me on the couch watching
TV.
And he loved me.
He was in what I thought was a Noc Mood. A
sweet one. An attentive one. A gentle one.
A mood that might be conducive to a certain
kind of discussion.
I should face the issue head on. Tell him
what I saw in him.
All
that I saw. Then ask him to share
with me the pain he was holding, pain no longer hidden.
But it would seem I had the courage to commit
treason for my country. I also had the courage to face three
witches who could have obliterated me with a blink. And I had the
courage to leave my entire world to travel to one that was all new
to me.
But I didn’t have the courage to do one thing
to force Noc to face whatever caused his pain by making him share
that pain with me.
Blast.
“I’ll call her in the morning,” I told
him.
“Good,” he muttered.
“I love you,” I blurted and his head gave a
slight, surprised jerk before his eyes warmed and he bent his face
closer to mine.
“I love you too, Frannie,” he whispered.
I wanted to use that opening to go on and
find the right words to erase whatever was causing him harm without
making him face it. To share with him all he meant to me and make
him know he could release it just like he’d given that same gift to
me.
I had many talents in many areas.
This just wasn’t one.
And I found it immensely frustrating.
Noc took us out of the moment by bending even
deeper and kissing my nose.
He then turned back to the TV, lifting the
remote to rewind the action to when he took his attention from
it.
He was interested in this program.
Thus now was not the time.
But I had to find the time.
And I had to find a way.
I just didn’t know how to do either.
* * * * *
The next afternoon, the phone to my ear, the
fifth time I’d called, I finally connected.
“’Lo?” sounded in my ear slumberously.
“Well?” I demanded.
“Frannie?”
I was no longer annoyed that yet another
person was addressing me thus, this time Circe.
I had other things on my mind.
“Yes, Frannie,” I confirmed, even though I
knew my name came up on her phone like all the names of the callers
came up on mine and I didn’t need to do so. “I’ve been trying to
reach you all day,” I snapped.
“Sorry. I’ve been busy,” she told me.
“You don’t sound busy. Are you napping at
work?” I asked, not entirely incredulously. Circe seemed rather
industrious. However, it could be that she was exhausted for a
particular reason.
“Well, I’m not at work.”
I looked to my watch, surprised at this for
I’d learned working hours in that world were eight in the morning
until five in the evening (normally) and these were Circe’s hours.
And right then, it was a quarter after three.
“Is something amiss at your employment?” I
asked.
“No. It’s just I didn’t go into work
today.”
I had no reply.
Her voice dipped when she said, “Dax hasn’t
either.”
Oh my.
“Right,” I stated smartly. “Carry on,” I bid
and concluded with, “Goodbye.”
And I hung up.
Then I started chuckling.
Still doing it, I reengaged my phone and
called Noc.
“In other words, like I said,” he began after
I relayed this information to him, “she’s not only fine, she’s
more than
fine.”
I could not argue that, didn’t even want to,
so I said nothing.
“We done gossiping about Circe?” he queried
with humor in his voice.
“For now,” I replied.
“Right,” he said. “Later, babe. Love
you.”
“And I you.”
We hung up.
I was, indeed, done gossiping about
Circe.
To Noc.
But I moved from where I was to Valentine’s
kitchen to find Josette, who was practicing her this-world culinary
skills.
Because I was not actually done gossiping
about Circe.
News this good was news too good not to
share.
* * * * *
Two days later, in the afternoon, I moved
through a room in the home the agent was showing us, feeling
it.
Feeling everything.
She’d found it.
It was perfect.
I had my phone to my ear and it was
ringing.
“Sweetheart,” Noc answered.
“I think we’ve found it,” I whispered, having
removed myself from Josette, the agent, and Valentine, who had
driven us to the showing.
“It’s good?” he asked.
“It’s perfect, darling. The courtyard. The
ceiling roses. A magic room for me. And many bedrooms.”
He was silent a second before he asked, “How
you feelin’ like fillin’ those up?”
My voice dropped lower. “You know how.”
“Tell the agent I wanna see it. I got shit on
with the job on Saturday so it’ll have to be Sunday.”
“I’ll do that.”