REGENCY: Loved by the Duke (Historical Billionaire Military Romance) (19th Century Victorian Short Stories) (23 page)

The chill that swept over her following it seemed almost unfair.  It cooled her body before she felt that she had fully enjoyed the sensation that the god had left her with.  The cool air of the examination room crept back into her senses as the god untangled himself from her and rose to his feet.

Slowly the reality of what she had done began to make its way back into her perceptions.  And the gravity of it all seemed to have pulled her back down from the heights of heaven and back onto the earthly plain with the rest of the mortals. 

Oh god…
she realized. 
I had sex with a patient.

Under normal circumstances, she supposed that she should have been worried.  But she did not feel the sting of fear.  All she felt was… fulfillment.

“Thanks, doc,” the god said as he began to redress himself.  “I feel much better.”

She pushed herself up onto her elbows and felt the tickle of weakness in them.  Her strength felt sapped but she found enough energy within her to speak.  “That’s it?”

He turned to face her, his torso gleaming with sweat.  He smiled down upon her.  “Yeah… at least it is until next week.  I’ll need a follow up exam, I’m sure.”

She smiled back at him. 

“Can’t keep you here too long,” he added, picking up his shirt.  “People might get suspicious.”

She felt an idea form in her mind.  “You know where I live… you could visit me there,” she said suggestively.

He chuckled.  “I know your building, hon.  Your doorman would never let me in.  It’s easier to get in
here
than it would be there.”  He pulled on his shirt and picked up his vest.

A thought sailed across her mind.  An unanswered question spawned from it.  “How
did
you get in here?”  She licked her lips, nervously this time.  “I mean… you don’t look like the kind of guy that could just walk in here without having some wheels to grease.”

He chuckled at the comment.  “You’re gorgeous
and
smart.  That’s a good combination.”

She waited for him to answer her question. 

“The Open Road,” he said simply.

She felt her brow furrow.  “The bar where we met?”

He nodded.  “I own it.”

She felt a tickle of embarrassment race up her spine.  She recalled the things that she had said about the bar the night they had met.  It had never even occurred to her that she had been addressing the owner of the bar when she made her not-so-polite comments.

“Uh… but…” she stammered.

“The Gods of Asphalt,” he said again, as if that was explanation enough.

She froze.  “What about them?”

He fastened the buttons on his vest.  “I’m their leader.”

The words felt harder than any hammer stroke he could have delivered to her and Carlie felt like she could have passed out from the shock of it all right then and there.  Not only had she fucked a patient and a criminal… but apparently she had fucked a
rich
and powerful criminal at that. 

He stepped to her and bent over just enough to kiss her.  He rose up and smiled down at her.  “You’d better get dressed, hon.  It’ll look suspicious if I walk out of here ten minutes before you.”

She did as he commanded.

Chapter 6

As the weeks went by Carlie found herself becoming more and more attached to the idea of pronging a gang leader while at work.  The wonderful thing about J-Ward, she quickly learned, was that no one asked any questions and the paperwork was minimal.  When filling out forms for each of her god’s visits she would simply site “Physical Therapy” as the reason for his visit.  If anyone thought that this was peculiar because she wasn’t a physical therapist, no one said anything.

Once – sometimes twice a week – her god would come by.  Sometimes he did so under the pretense that his body was aching and he needed to see her immediately.  And as soon as they were alone and she was wrapped up in his arms he would claim to be feeling better. 

Sometimes he would drop by unexpectedly and surprise her and she welcomed his visits.  Their passions would consume them, though regrettably for only a short while of every time he came to see her. 

“We can’t risk anyone getting suspicious,” was all he would say.  Carlie found it nothing short of sweet that he was thinking of her career. 

So their trysts were kept short, lasting anywhere from twenty minutes to half an hour at a time.  But it was time well spent in her opinion.  When he arrived complaining that he was in pain – which he was able to do only sparsely – they were able to extend their time into an hour.  She sometimes prayed that he would visit her complaining of pain simply for that.

It was time that she lived for. 

It wasn’t until nearly eight weeks later that Jackie had gotten the sudden urge to want another outing to someplace dangerous.

“The Open Road,” Carlie said with much enthusiasm.

“What?!” Jackie asked, her eyes going wide.  “You mean…?”

“Yes,” Carlie said, feeling adamant about it, “the place where the Gods of Asphalt hang out.  We’re going there tonight.”

Jackie shook her head.  “Carlie… don’t you remember what happened last time?”

“Yeah… you fucked up.  But don’t worry.  I know a guy inside.  We’ll be okay.”  And with that, she felt certain that her best friend wouldn’t quarrel about their destination tonight.  Even as she had spoken – with a firmness that Jackie had never heard her use before – she was positive that Jackie wouldn’t argue.  She – Carlie – had decided where they were going.  There was no other room for debate in it.

Jackie looked nervous on the whole drive out and Carlie couldn’t help but feel her excitement building within her.  It would be the first time that she would see Damian – she still liked to think of him as her personal god – outside of the hospital.  There was something alluring about seeing him again in the place where they had first met.

“Carlie… let’s go someplace else,” Jackie said feebly as they parked.

Without giving her friend a chance to react, Carlie reached over and plucked the keys from the ignition of Jackie’s car and dropped them down the front of her dress.  She smiled vindictively at her friend, happy to use one of her own tricks against her.  “Come on, where’s your spine?” she asked with a delighted grin as she got up out of the car.

The bar was just as busy as it had been the last time that they had been here and with the same blend of characters.  Bikers of traditional and newfound styles congregated at all of the diversions that the bar offered.  But unlike last time, Carlie found that she was unafraid of anyone in here.  She had protection of the best kind.

And she saw him, standing behind the bar and casually mixing drinks for impatient customers.  She thought it was sweet, seeing him like that.  Part of her wondered briefly how all of the patrons of this bar –
his
bar – could simply ask for drinks and not realize that they were in the presence of a god. 

Her god.

The idea sent excited shivers up her spine.

“Uh, Carlie?” Jackie whispered into her ear.

“Go find yourself a dark corner to hide in,” Carlie replied to her friend, knowing what it was that upset her about being here again.  “I have some business to attend to.”  She didn’t give a look back to Jackie as she pushed her way up to the bar.

He saw her coming just before she reached the elevated counter and he smiled broadly at her.  The look was appealing… enticing… almost like he wanted her here and now on the counter in view of everyone else. 

She sat on the stool facing him and smiled at him.  “Hello, husband.”

He smiled back.  “Hello, wife.”  He licked his lips.  “Something to drink?”

She shook her head.  “No… I’d better not.”

He arched a curious eyebrow, but there was something knowing in his voice.  It was something that tickled her, just like his voice was always apt to do.  “Oh?  And why not?”

She answered by gently touching a hand to her belly. 

His smile increased, like he was about to implode from pride.  Just as she had been able to see through the subtext of his words he was able to see through the gesture to its underlying meaning. 

He looked like he was halfway to heaven at this realization. 
About time
, she thought, thinking of all of the past times it had been he that sent her to new heights of pleasure.  He even looked tempted to jump over the bar and embrace, but he managed to keep himself under control.  Barely, from the look of it. 

“How long?” he asked.

She smiled back.  “Eight weeks.”

He nodded approvingly.  “So… from that first time?”

She nodded.  She had never had any doubts.

His smile was filled with delight in a manner that she had never seen him in before.  He set his bar towel down the counter and whispered to her, “Wait here for one minute.” 

She obeyed and watched as he found another of the bar tenders and whispered something into their ear that she could not hear.  Then he returned to her quickly, rounding the bar and taking her hand in his.  “Are you here with your friend?”

She nodded.

“Give her the car keys back,” her god said.  “You’re with me tonight.”

Carlie didn’t have to look far to find Jackie huddled in a corner and trying very hard to be invisible to everyone around her.  Carlie found it sort of poetic that it was finally she – not Jackie – that was having a successful outing and that her slimmer and more petite friend was cowering and hidden away. 

“I’ll find my own way home,” she said to Jackie as her god took her hand and quickly pulled her from out of the bar.  The look on Jackie’s face when she saw who was holding her hand was priceless.

Her god brought her to a motorcycle that was parked very near the entrance to the bar.  He climbed on and she climbed on after him.  He kicked the engine into life and the roar of it tickled her. 

“Where are we going?” she asked.

He looked at her over his shoulder.  “It’s an open road.  Does it really matter?”

It was a simple question.  And one that she found she didn’t mind if she couldn’t answer.  She shook her head.  “No.  It doesn’t.”

He paused just long enough to give her a kiss and then he switched on his headlight and with the roar of the heavy bike beneath them they sped off of the dirt parking lot and onto the open pavement of the road.  It wasn’t long before the noise of the bar vanished distantly behind them.

THE END

Chapter 1

Tabitha drove down the winding gravel road with her big, dark chocolate eyes as wide as they could go. Drinking in the gorgeous mountain views that peeked through the snow-dusted evergreens lining the path. She cracked her window just enough to breathe in the crisp, crystal clear air tinged with the scent of pine that was exactly like she remembered as a little girl.

She steered her bright red SUV with caution on the icy road as she pulled into the long drive leading to the towering brick and log manor that rose up like it had been grown there in the forest. She drove past the sign that read White Mountain Lodge in letters twined with carved white roses and exhaled a sigh of relief, releasing a tension that had plagued her since almost eight months before.

As a professional figure skater, Tabitha was no stranger to working through incredible pressure, stress, and pain. But the injury that had ended her career so suddenly not even a year before had been something that even her indomitable will couldn’t overcome.

She had torn all the ligaments in her right knee after a nasty fall, and at twenty five all her dreams, everything she had spent her life working for, collapsed underneath her.  In the aftermath she had realized exactly how much she had sacrificed in the mindless pursuit of that gold medal.

No friends, no family except for her grandfather who loved and supported her no matter what decisions she made. And a no-good, bastard, jerk-face ex fiancé who Tabitha had found out had been having an affair with her coach the entire time they were together.

He had the nerve to blame it on her! That she was never there, didn’t care enough, and didn’t put half as much effort into their relationship as she did her career. Which was true, she had to acknowledge. At least to herself. 

The ethereal beauty of the lodge and surrounding woods, so still and calm in the early winter afternoon soothed her in a way Tabitha desperately needed. She hadn’t realized just how much the stress of the past months had been eating at her.

Pulling into the open parking spot, she glanced up into the rearview mirror. Her big, dark brown eyes flecked with gold stared back at her. Her mocha skin swept over high cheekbones and full, unpainted lips. Her features, which she was so used to seeing drawn and creased with worry and exhaustion were already softer, more relaxed. Tabitha smiled to herself in the mirror. This was going to be exactly what she needed.

She grabbed her suitcase and her old backpack and headed through the oversized pine framed double doors of the Lodge. The main lobby was empty save for an old, worn couch with a geometric print and a lovely looking middle aged women flipping through paperwork behind the massive wooden front counter.

“Hel…hello.” Tabitha gave a slight wave, still juggling her luggage and bags as she tried to get the woman’s attention. Bright blue eyes and a cheery smile looked up at her over small gold glasses pushed down to the tip of her nose.

“Oh! Hello! Are you checking in, dear?” The woman’s voice tripped some memory of when Tabitha had been there as a child. She stared closer into the woman’s features. The wide forehead, smooth cheeks, and full lips that were still curved into a welcoming smile all made it difficult to put any age to her.

“I’m so sorry,” Tabitha mumbled as she realized she had been staring for a solid minute, “you just seem so familiar to me. You didn’t happen to work here almost twenty years ago, did you? But no, that’s impossible.” Her hand fluttered, waving away her question, as she tried to pin down the sense of déjà vu that had hit her upon seeing, Tabitha squinted at her name tag,
Bea
. That’s all it said. Just Bea.

Bea looked at her uncomfortably for a moment before her happy grin replaced it, making Tabitha doubt she had seen it at all.

“Well, you probably mean my mother.” Bea chuckled, but it held an edge of nerves. “She worked here for years before buying the place, and now I take care of things.” She beamed again, and all Tabitha could see was sunshine.

“So, you’ve been to our lodge before?” Bea asked as she reached for another clipboard of papers. Tabitha smiled, remembering.

“Yes, when I was a little girl. I came here with my dad and grandpa when I was seven. It was the best Christmas I ever had.”

“Well, I’m so glad you are back to visit us again. Can I just have your name, sweetie?” Bea was looking at the papers as she asked, not a computer or even cell phone in sight on the big desk behind the counter.

“It’s Tabitha. Tabitha Jones.”

“Oh, Ms. Jones, of course! I hope the roads weren’t too bad getting up here. I know they were saying a doozy of a storm is on the way.”

“Nope, no problems. It seems like I got here just in time.”  A different, softer type of smile lit Bea’s features.

“You know, I can’t tell you how many visitors at White Mountain Lodge say that same exact thing.” Her voice once again brisk, but kindly. She grabbed a set of keys from the wall of hooks, each with corresponding numbers.

She handed Tabitha number
L14
. You’ve got room number fourteen, dear. It’s really lovely, a great view of the pond, and the valley. I hope you enjoy your stay with us, and let me know if you need anything at all.”

“Thank you.” Tabitha smiled, and with another little wave, walked down the hall in the direction Bea had pointed. She took a deep breath, feeling energized, revitalized, and ready to dedicate the next week to doing nothing but relaxing. She couldn’t wait.