Fire & Ice

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Journal Entry:

It's time. Now that I have it all ready to go, I'm second-guessing myself. Definitely holding off on giving her the ring I purchased today. That would scare her for sure. But I think everything else will be good. If not, I'm about to find out. I don't think girls realize that guys get nervous about all this stuff too.

***

"Hi." She answered the door with a soft smile and, for a moment, I forgot to breathe. Unable to speak, I let my eyes travel over her, taking in her prettily fixed hair and the purple and black shirt she wore. It brought out her dark eyes as well as the deep color of her hair, not to mention the magical amulet that always hung from her neck. A blush spread across her face at my blatant stare of appreciation.

"You look great!" I held a hand out and she took it, allowing me to pull her next to me. Immediately, I sought her lips, feeling the temperature instantly ignite between us. I didn't care. I continued to kiss her until we both had to stop and catch our breath. "Sorry," I apologized, not really meaning it, as I raked my fingers through my hair, attempting to cool my raging hormones.

"No apology needed," she replied with a smile. "I enjoyed it."

I believed her. There was no way I could miss the desire coursing through her body in reaction to mine. "Me too. A little too much, I think. Kissing you is like a drug. One I can't get enough of," I added seriously. "Sometimes it scares me."

"Why?" she asked, appearing surprised by the admission.

Taking a step closer, I cupped her cheek in my palm, I decided it was better to warn her now and let her ponder on what I had to say. "Because, I could allow myself to lose control so easily." There was no doubt in my mind that she was still a virgin. Her thoughts had proved that on many occasions, but we needed to be careful if we were going to keep things that way. I was still determined not to cross certain lines.

We stood staring at each other for a moment, before I took her hand and led her out to my motorcycle. Marsha would've let me take the car tonight, but I selfishly wanted Portia hanging onto me tightly. I loved having her ride with me. Offering her my helmet, she surprised me when she shook her head.

"It'll ruin my hair," she complained.

"Better messy hair than a broken head." I pushed the helmet toward her again. Her safety was my number one priority. There was no way I'd put her at risk, even if I was making her grumble as she begrudgingly took it. Besides, I knew she simply wanted to look nice for me, and I thought she looked gorgeous all the time.

All of my thoughts drifted away, though, when she climbed on and slipped her arms around me. The tension left my body and I felt more relaxed than I had for hours. Turning, I drove toward Oak Creek, leaning heavily into the twists and turns as we made our way up the canyon. We parked in my usual spot and I helped her remove the helmet, leaving it on the seat and taking her hand once more.

"Let's go."

The sun had sunk beyond the horizon, but there was still the smallest bit of dusky light as we made our way through the dense foliage. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the pillar candles I'd left their earlier, commanding the wicks to burst into flame and activating the levitation magic that would make them float at different levels in the air.

As we stepped through the trees onto the flat rock, I heard her gasp. The candles, of all sizes and varieties, formed a large circle around a small table with several magical items I'd set up there. Casting a soft glow on the stone and into the space around us, it did appear quite impressive.