ZenithRising (13 page)

Suddenly he rammed his hips forward and froze with a near
painful groan and she felt the throbbing of his climax as strongly as though it
were her own. But it wasn’t. She was still hanging on the cliff, vibrating in
anticipation. Her heart pounded in her chest as she tried to calm herself, to
no avail.

Then he smiled and flexed his still-rigid cock and she knew
everything would be all right.

He gently kissed the arch of one foot then the other and
placed them at his sides. Without leaving her body he stretched out above her,
eased his penis almost out then plunged forward again. In a heartbeat he
resumed the frenzied pounding into her pussy, rubbing her clit with the base of
his cock, harder, faster, harder, faster, until she cried out with a release
more explosive than she’d ever imagined possible.

From far, far away she heard him say “thank you” but she
fell asleep before she could ask what he was thanking her for. Sometime later
she felt him move away from her and get out of bed. She had a fleeting thought
of how nice it was to be with someone who didn’t insist she change her routine
to match his. And then she returned to her cozy cocoon of slumber where a dream
was waiting to take her away.

“Watch your step now. It can get mighty slippery down
here.” Reynard lowered the torch so that it illuminated the narrow pathway in
front of her.

The descent into the cave had not been as steep as she
would have thought but now it suddenly changed to a severe downward slope with
only an occasional outcropping of crystals to stop her from sliding. The rock
walls seemed to be closer now as well. She hoped her curiosity hadn’t led her
into a situation that had no exit.

“How much farther?” she asked her guide once the ground
leveled out again. When Reynard turned back to her she noticed his head was
that of a red fox with eyes that flashed with golden flames but his voice
confirmed it was still him.

“That depends on which path you choose next. Each has
something of interest but you cannot follow all three. Only one will get you
out in time. Another will seduce you with its mysteries but they are not yours
to solve. But the third is the most dangerous of all for it will use your own
fears to seduce you into abandoning your quest. If you do not choose well, the
life you are here to save will be lost forever…as will yours.”

He waved the torch and she could see the three paths he
spoke of. They looked identical and she was reminded of the three nature
trails.

“But how will I know which is—” Reynard was gone and the
torch was in her own hand. Why would he bring her this far and not help her
choose? “At least you could have given me some sort of clue!” she shouted in
frustration.

Though the fox did not reappear, she heard his voice.
“The answer is knocking at your door…”

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

It took Maggie several seconds to realize she was hearing
actual knocking at the bungalow door. “Just a moment,” she yelled and scrambled
for her robe. The dream continued to cloud her mind as she made her way to the
door.
Reynard had said the answer was knocking at her door.

She shook the cobwebs from her brain and opened the door to
find a bellman and Shannon, the Irish maid, standing behind her housekeeping
cart. The bellman handed her an ivory envelope with a palm tree logo embossed
in gold above the name of the hotel. It was similar enough to the embroidery on
her robe to draw the man’s attention but he kept his thoughts to himself. The
front of the envelope was addressed in elegant script to Mr. and Mrs. Noah
Nash.

“One moment please,” she said to the bellman then asked
Shannon to follow her inside while she found a quarter to give to the man. His
smile suggested she had guessed right about the appropriate tip amount.

She quickly opened the envelope to confirm that it was the
expected invitation to the evening’s affair. Then she turned her attention to
the maid, who was once again holding a stack of linens in front of her stomach.
“I’m sorry about the sand everywhere. If you wouldn’t mind starting in here,
I’ll be dressed and out of your way in a few minutes.”

Shannon bobbed her head. “As you wish, ma’am.”

Maggie’s mind was suddenly racing. Wherever Noah was she hoped
he stayed away a bit longer. This was the perfect opportunity for some
girl-talk with Shannon and his appearance could put a quick end to it. As she
quickly washed, brushed her teeth and dressed, Maggie thought about the strange
dream and wondered if there was a real message in it. After all, they had been
transported to the Roaring Twenties. Anything was possible.

It was rational to assume two of the three choices were
Robert Davenport and Shannon O’Toole. But the third choice mentioned didn’t
sound like the unidentified weeping woman. The fox had said something about her
fears. It sounded personal, internal. If the answer had been knocking at her
door when she awoke, it was still a mystery to her. The maid was definitely in
the running as the one they were to save.

Suddenly she realized Reynard had actually said the word
save
though originally he had been vague about fixing something. She felt a shiver
of confirmation. They were here to save someone’s life. Right now. Robert
Davenport had to be the mystery that was
not
theirs to solve.

So who did the bellman and the invitation represent? Maybe
the bellman was Shannon’s lover. Or maybe someone at tonight’s party was a
killer? She remembered her strong reaction to the photos of the engaged couple
in the newspaper and was again filled with the certainty they or their parents
were involved in whatever was about to happen. There were still far too many
possibilities. She needed to talk it out with Noah.

When she came out of the bathroom, Shannon was hurriedly changing
the bed linens. “You work so hard,” Maggie said in an attempt to open a
conversation.

“Thank ye, ma’am. ‘Tis a good job I have.”

“When are you due?” The question was out of her mouth before
she realized how shocking it would be to the girl.

The poor maid’s face turned white then flushed hot pink.
“I…I don’t know what ye mean.”

Shannon looked like she was about to run. “Oh, I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean to be rude. It’s hardly noticeable but I, uh, I have a sense about
these things. Maybe it’s because I just found out I’m expecting.” She stuck out
her stomach and rubbed it. And hoped she wouldn’t be struck down for lying. It
was apparently the right thing to say because Shannon relaxed a little.

“Please, ma’am. Ye mustn’t say anything ta anyone. I would be
sent away for sure. And I have no place to go for some months.”

Maggie frowned and walked over to the maid. “That’s
terrible. You shouldn’t be fired for getting pregnant. And why would you have
no place to go? Where is the baby’s father?”

Shannon’s freckled cheeks flushed again. “’Tis my shame ta
say I haven’t seen him for more than a month. Since I told him about the babe.”
She went back to her task without looking at Maggie again.

So the bellman was off the list. Maggie’s heart went out to
the girl. She was just a child. With the troubles of a grown woman. And it
sounded like she had no one to turn to. Maggie sensed she had learned all she
could for the moment. “I’m sorry, Shannon. I promise I won’t reveal your
secret.”

“Thank ye, ma’am,” the maid mumbled without turning around.

Maggie sighed and headed out to find Noah, invitation in
hand. As luck would have it, no sooner did she step on the wooden walkway than
she saw him rising to his feet in the shallower part of the ocean. He looked
like a beautiful Greek god crowned by the morning sun. As he shook his head
from side to side, droplets of sparkling water flew off his dark hair.

She loved his hair.

As he pushed his way to shore, his firm, near-naked body was
revealed inch by sexy inch.

She really loved his body.

The first thing he did when he reached dry sand was bend
down and pick up a seashell.

She really, really loved the way he appreciated little
things.

Rather than wave or call to him she decided to simply enjoy
the show. He went over to a water faucet with a bucket under it, filled it and
rinsed the salt off himself then accepted a towel from an attentive cabana boy.
Her hands itched with the desire to perform that service for him. She sighed.
There was no help for it.

She was totally, irrevocably in love with Noah Nash.

Suddenly he stopped toweling his firmly muscled legs, turned
toward her and grinned.
As though he had heard her thoughts.

It took her a heartbeat to smile and wave. She was certain
he had no psychic abilities but if he did, that grin seemed to say he liked
what she was thinking. But since the world they were in was so…
ephemeral
,
it was foolish to think their feelings were anything but fleeting. A shiver ran
through her and she forced her mind back to the reason she’d come looking for Noah.

She waited while he donned a white cotton robe, also
provided by the attendant. He walked toward her, grin broadening the closer he
got.

He gave her a quick hug and kiss then tucked her arm under
his as they started strolling. “If I’d known you were getting up so soon I
would have waited.”

“I had visitors.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Did any of them bring you your
coffee?”

She laughed. “No, but one of them did come bearing a gift.”
She handed him the invitation.

He smiled. “Toldya so. Now we just have to hope
you
were right about the seating arrangements.” Without further discussion he
guided her to an umbrella-covered table at the outdoor café. He waited until a
waiter had taken their breakfast orders before getting back to her comment.
“You said visitors, plural.”

Maggie quickly related her talk with Shannon. “I couldn’t
help but remember the original story about her being despondent enough to take
her own life. She was clearly sad and frightened about the future but I didn’t
get the feeling she would take her own life, let alone her baby’s.”

“And I remember you saying she wore a crucifix. An Irish
Catholic committing suicide really goes against the grain. Her being pregnant
out of wedlock is bad but I’m pretty sure killing the baby gets her a ticket straight
to hell. But there was also the doctor’s report that was ignored. Bruises
around her neck definitely suggest foul play.” He combed his fingers through
his hair. “If the baby’s father is out of the picture and she’s accepted the
fate of a single mother, why would someone kill her?”

Maggie noticed the waiter’s curious look as he served their
coffee and pressed her finger to her lips to remind Noah to lower his voice.
She leaned forward and spoke quietly. “Maybe it has nothing to do with her
pregnancy. Maybe she witnesses something or overhears a plot to do something
illegal. If I remember my history, plenty of gangsters spent time in south
Florida.”

“I like your thinking so far. Go on.”

“A lot of important people will be in the ballroom tonight.
With the father of the groom being a politician, the odds of a shady deal going
on in a back room seem pretty high.”

He winked at her. “You’re thinking of the wedding scene in
The
Godfather
.”

She chuckled. “Not intentionally but it fits. The problem is
how can the two of us eavesdrop on the engaged couple and their parents and
look for secret meetings behind the scenes. I mean, it’s not like either one of
us is a trained detective.”

“You forgot to mention Davenport.”

“No I didn’t. We’re not here for him. His mystery is for
someone else to solve.” She saw the question in his eyes before he expressed
it. “I’ll explain later.”

“Okay. Close your eyes,” Noah said abruptly. “Take a deep
breath and as you exhale imagine yourself erasing all the thoughts bouncing
around in your head.” He waited for her to follow his instructions. “Now,
without forcing anything, ask who we should watch most closely for a clue to
our mystery.”

She saw the fox’s flashing eyes, thought of the hints he’d
given in her dream then one word popped onto her blank screen. She opened her
eyes and said, “Shannon.”

He looked at her curiously. “The maid? That doesn’t make
sense. She shouldn’t be anywhere near the party.”

“Hey, I just did what you told me. I never claimed to have
any special gift.”

He stroked her cheek. “You
are
the gift, Maggie.
Among lots of other paranormal things I’ve researched, I’ve learned a lot about
meditation and self-hypnosis. Basically it’s just a way of bringing out an
answer that’s buried inside your subconscious. There has to be a reason you
came up with Shannon rather than one of the partygoers.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I think I better give you that
explanation now after all. I had a very weird dream this morning.”

Noah hung on every word she said. Though he recognized the importance
of her dream information, he would have been just as attentive if she was
reading from a phone book page. He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t even want to
try. He was completely bewitched by the magical creature in front of him. A
psychologist might say the cause was the unusual situation they were in but he
knew the foundation of his enchantment was his longstanding crush on her.
Having her satisfy every lustful fantasy he’d ever had ensured his adoration
going forward. But to discover she possessed the enhanced mental abilities he
had tried to cultivate for so long, well, that cinched it for him. He could
never go back to a life without her in it.

He wanted to tell her how he felt but their history warned
him to wait for her to speak first. She seemed happy being with him and
appeared to be well-satisfied with his lovemaking but she hadn’t uttered a
single word suggesting she wanted a long-term relationship with him.