WindSwept Narrows: #14 Daphne Paddington Read online

  “I’ve made it lots before…sometimes with chicken, sometimes with Italian sausage,” she told him, meeting his look with a grin. “I can cook lots of things…if I know what you like.”

  “I’ll let Anca know…she always spreads herself thin and loves the dish,” Vlad brought his hands up, framing her face. “I have to go…and I know you’re not far behind me…be careful out there, Daphne.”

  “I checked with the police yesterday,” she said, walking with him to the patio doors. “He’s still in custody on the other side of the mountains, Vlad. But I’ll watch out…see you tonight.”

  She stood at the doors for a long few minutes, staring into the dappled sky trying to decide on sunshine or clouds. She took the cookbook with her to work, marking things and making a list during her lunch hour.

  Lost in her thoughts, Daphne didn’t notice the time when she pulled behind her apartment, humming to herself as she lifted the bags from inside and carried them to the porch.

  It wasn’t until the doors slid wide that she noticed Vlad’s SUV next to the house, a dark scowl greeting her before she could speak. She watched him tip up his wrist before reaching to remove the bags from her arms. Her mouth opened until she saw him slightly shake his head and stride into the house.

  “Vlad…I…have some adjustments to make,” Daphne began carefully, watching him set the bags on the counter and turn to face her. He leaned against the counter, his arms up and crossed over his chest. Pale lashes narrowed, one finger raised thoughtfully. “Do I apologize for not calling?”

  “What’s your normal return from work time, Daphne?” Vlad asked quietly, working to contain the anxiety within him. He had spent fifteen minutes on the phone with the police making certain the stalker was still safely contained before he let himself breathe easier.

  “Four-thirty,” she answered softly, taking a step forward and touching his face with one palm. “You were worried about me. Oh, Vlad, I am so sorry…I wanted some things from the store and…”

  “You have your phone turned off?”

  “I’m not used to anyone…” She swallowed and nodded with a little wince. “I turn it off during work and check messages before I leave for home. Vlad, I really am sorry.”

  “Can we establish a few changes? So I can maintain a little sanity and dignity,” Vlad moved forward, a palm on each of her shoulders. “I can not promise stability when I’m concerned that some lunatic escaped who believes you belong to him, Daphne.”

  “Vlad…I wanted…I’m not used to…” she stopped, her head back and eyes closed. “I am sorry. Yes…changes…I will leave my phone on always. I will tell you when I’m stopping off to shop…I wanted to fix something nice for dinner and needed a few things and…”

  Daphne gasped, and shivered. His eyes were hard and focused. Slowly Vlad lowered his face to her neck. He breathed in once, amazed at the scent of arousal on her, and kissed gently at the hollow between her collarbones. Daphne whimpered, and he lifted his head to make eye-contact with her again, silently asking if she wanted him to stop.

  Her fingers had been curled around the edge of his shirt and opened slowly, caressing over his shoulder to touch his cheek. She touched her mouth to his, gently stroking her tongue over his lower lip, teasing him into her game. She whimpered again, sucking in a breath, and opening her mouth enough for his tongue to venture inside.

  She stood there staring at him when he broke the kiss. Staring at his lips. He lowered his head again, and lapped at her bottom lip, before moving to fit his mouth over hers in long, deep kiss that traced a teasing pattern over her lips. She pushed her hands inside his jacket, shoving it to the edges of his shoulders until he released her just enough to let it fall to the floor.

  Somehow they made it to the bedroom, clothing dropped along the way until they tumbled breathless onto the bed. Daphne wasn’t sure how her fingers became locked against the back of his head, a gasp and shudder racing through her when his mouth trailed over her throat to the edge of her bra seconds before she felt the snap opened. Straps were slid down her arms, the bit of lace and nylon dropped off the bed to the floor.

  Daphne was burning hot. And the clenching? That was still happening. In her nipples...In her stomach...And lower... If she wasn't careful, she was pretty sure she was going to forget to breathe. She had seen a need deep in his eyes, felt the urgent, almost frantic sensation inside him when he couldn’t put the feelings into words. She’d seen anger and fury and anxiety in the mirrored expressive dark eyes. She wasn’t protesting the urgency or the need, knowing instinctively that this burst of passion was necessary to reassure him she was alright.

  His reaction to her heated need had been instantaneous and he wanted nothing more than to sink himself deep inside her hot moistness. With a determined urgency, he shut off the part of his brain that could make no sense of this urgency. The need was all that mattered. And she obviously understood it…accepted it and shared it.

  Vlad's heart pounded inside his chest, blood rushed through his veins. It'd been so long since he'd had a woman. Daphne wasn’t just any woman, he heard inside his head. She was his wife and she was soft and warm in his arms. And willing. He cupped the back of her head and gentled his kiss. He desperately sought reason, to will his body to control itself.

  He groaned, closing his eyes in pleasurable agony when she let her hands roam over his chest, caressing downward until she took his erection into her small hands. He was going to explode. Her soft touch was enough to unravel him.

  His nostrils flared as he eyed her possessively. Her breasts, full and pink-tipped filled his palms, her nipples straining against his calloused hands. There was a light dip where her bellybutton was, and his gaze caught the triangle of soft hair. She was beautiful and his heart tightened as he touched her.

  Daphne's lips tugged into a smile as she felt his mouth tickle her neck. He took his time now, warming her skin with his mouth and hands. She in turn touched him, her hands molding over the muscles that made up his shoulders and arms, alternating between kneading and running her fingers lightly over his chest and stomach until he was panting.

  She fearlessly spread her legs when she felt him touch her there. She moaned when she felt his finger slip into her wet folds. He angled his head to kiss her deeply and slowly added another finger with the first. Her inner muscles clenched around him. With the palm of his hand, he rubbed against her clit. Daphne trembled in his arms. She was so wet for him. Vlad concentrated on her pleasure, felt her press closely against him. With three fingers in her now, he quickened his pace.

  "Does this feel good?"

  “Yes,” she moaned. “Oh!” His thumb pressed lightly on her clit and he felt her fingers dig into his arms.

  “Spread your legs.” His husky voice was like a spell over her. She did as he said and he lifted her until her legs wrapped around him. He positioned her above his cock and rubbed the swollen head along her slit. Their eyes locked together when he separated from her long enough to sheath himself, returning with a low groan of need.

  “Guide me into you,” He whispered against her lips. Without breaking their gaze, Daphne held his erection as he slid into her. She gasped in wonderment. She'd never felt so stretched before and the heat of him inside of her made her moan.

  He breathed her name and kissed her hard as he slid all the way to the hilt, muffling her cry. He pulled out until only the head of him remained inside of her and she braced herself, but felt no more pain as he pushed back in. Daphne began to move her hips with him, trusting her instincts.

  “Daphne,” he closed his eyes briefly as her inner muscles tightened heavenly around his cock. “God,” He wrapped his arm around her, lifting her over him as he began to move faster. “That's it, ah, you feel so good, Daphne.”

  Daphne arched her back so she could take him deeper. Their mouths met in hot kisses, breathing in each other's moans as he worked his cock deep within her hot, wet sheath. Then she felt the first spasms. It slowly built into a crescend
o and then, out of nowhere, she cried out and dug her nails into his back.

  Vlad watched as her climax darkened her eyes, her gaze never breaking from his. Seeing her excitement in her eyes and the rippling of her inner muscles caused him to swell and he let go. He cried out her name as he shuddered, each explosive reaction more powerful than the last. He grunted, feeling her body grow lax in his arms.

  “Daphne...” His mind was numb. Nothing mattered but this very moment, their bodies slicked with sweat, their hearts pounding. Never had he felt an orgasm as intense as this one. He settled them both on the bed, still holding her tightly. He allowed his eyes to close, feeling the exhaustion seep into his body.

  Here, in this moment with Daphne in his arms, he was content. There were no shadows haunting them, no dark memories. Only Daphne mattered, her breathing now growing steady and quiet, the smell of her enticing and rich as he separated them, his chuckle low when she protested.

  Warm and feeling incredible, Daphne watched him move in the shadows, his body lean and strong as he slid beneath the blankets at her side. He leaned on his elbow, gazing down into the bright circles. His palm rose, brushing the damp tendrils of gold from the side of her face before his lips lowered to kiss her, marveling at how very easy it was to lose himself in her.

  “Daphne…” her name whispered off his lips, raising his head and meeting the inquisitive gaze. “I…”

  “I’m alright,” she said in answer to the unasked concern. “Very alright, Vlad…I am sorry I worried you…I never…”

  He sighed thickly, struggling to unravel the words in his mind.

  “I’ve never felt the urge to strike something as strongly as I did when you were in the barn with that lunatic, Daphne,” Vlad liked the soft feel of her skin beneath his palm, his thumb stroking over her lower lip as he spoke. “And before you launch into the improbabilities of it all…” he couldn’t stop the smile that matched hers, even as she lowered her eyes to keep her humor hidden. “I don’t know how I went from being perfectly content, on a path I had wanted for a long time and suddenly every other thought inside my head is about you. I don’t know why. I don’t know how to explain it. What I do know is it feels right and very, very empty without you there.”

  “You’re very good with those words,” she whispered, raising her hand and pulling his head down to meet her kiss. “I think I’ve begun to understand.”

  “I’ve talked to Anca,” he couldn’t stop staring into the heart shaped face. “She would love the vegetable casserole I told her you knew how to make. But I should warn you…she has two very large roasting pans that must be filled,” he smiled at the soft laughter from her. “And I told her we would probably spend weekends at the ranch…because my wife wants to build a garden of her own.”

  “I’ve noticed that you’re very fond of that word, Vlad,” Daphne teased, yawning and snuggling against him, purring softly.

  “I’m very fond of my wife,” he admitted, his head resting against hers in the darkness. The anxiety and fears had been eased for the moment, he realized as he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  Daphne woke slowly when the music began, half closed eyes peering at the clock with a soft groan. She lay at his side on her stomach and pushed her elbows forward, her chin perched in her palms as she stared at him. He lay on his side facing her, thick, dark lashes closed and the beginnings of a midnight shadow on his cheeks. She thought he was asleep until she felt the large palm moving over her behind, her giggle swallowed.

  “It can’t be morning already,” declared the gruff, raspy voice, lashes opening to a narrow slit. And he was ready to believe it had all been a dream. Long blond hair hung over one shoulder, her head tipped as she returned his stare.

  “It’s Wednesday morning,” she said ruefully, her hand moving forward, one finger out to brush the thick strands of midnight from his forehead. “We have dinner with the family tonight…and I have to go shower…” She slid to the side, his groan making her smile until she realized that clothes were strewn all around the house. She grabbed up a towel and wrapped it around her quickly, snatching various pieces of clothing and mumbling to herself, ignoring his laughter when she tossed his clothes at him.

  Daphne caught herself as she entered the play care, her fingers lifting the phone from her desk and glancing at the text that had just pinged through. She laughed and shook her head before tapping a response.

  “Yes, your wife has her phone turned on.”

  Daphne had finished cleaning up the kitchen and tossing laundry into the washer when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind. She had heard him call out to her when he came into the house, her laughter mixed with his growl as he wrestled her onto the bed.

  “Vlad! Don’t you…no! We have fifteen minutes!”

  Vlad Mircea wasn’t sure how he ended up on the bed not only alone, but half hanging upside down. He shook his head to clear the spinning, a vague part of his memory recalling one of her hobbies.

  “Alright…any night but Wednesdays,” he said out loud, grinning at the woman glaring at him as she worked to straighten her t-shirt from well out of arm distance.

  “Yes…good answer…” She advised, working to keep the glare in place and losing with a sigh. Daphne wandered off to the living room, chuckling at the mumbling behind her. They’d been exchanging texts all day and it wasn’t that she didn’t want to tumble with him into the bed and forget dinner. She was staring into the waning sunlight when she felt the cautious palms at her waist, pale lashes closing as she sighed. Warmth seemed to trail along the path he took over her throat to the side of her face.

  “Too old to explain why we missed dinner?” Vlad asked softly, turning her to accept his kiss for a long, silent minute.

  “Thank you for understanding,” she said as they walked toward the large diningroom, hands together and conversation shifting along a wide spectrum.

  It was easy to join the laughter and various topics around the Paddington dinner table. Daphne thought about their behavior as she helped clear the table and knew a strong pulse of desire when she looked up to find him following her with his eyes.

  Like the night before, clothing decorated the apartment all the way into the bedroom, whispers, laughter and passion filling their night.

  Vlad kept telling himself they were on their honeymoon, regardless of the location as he wandered through the house collecting clothing while Daphne showered on Friday morning. Gradually their clothing had become mingled in the closet and bureaus she had him move into the master bedroom. Despite the beginning, they were slowly becoming a couple.

  Shortly before noon on Friday, you would have to have been blind to miss the anxiety ridden intent on the people moving at a very fast clip along the underground pathways toward the child care center. Eve looked from Cassidy to Vlad to the officer ordered to the outside area of the child care center.

  “She took off at ten, Vlad. I’m pretty sure she went to the ranch. She said she had bushels of vegetables to clean and prepare and looked excited at the idea.”

  Vlad had his phone out, tapping her number in and frowning before trying another number.

  “Emil…have you seen Daphne today?”

  “She’s here, Vlad. Arrived an hour ago…what’s wrong?” The younger brother looked up from the shovel he was using to move the compost and soil to the raised beds they had built at the west of the house.

  “Get it circulated. That guy stalking her walked away from the institution this morning. They have no idea where he is,” Vlad nodded at Cassidy and parted at the junction. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. If possible, Emil, don’t tell her, okay? She’s barely sleeping as it is.”

  “We’ll watch out for her, Vlad,” Emil promised, breaking the connection and lifting the walkie talkie and passing the word to the rest of the people working around the ranch.

  Daphne loved the inside of the huge, old house. She had music playing from the built in stereo, singing softly as
she cleaned and chopped vegetables. Somehow she had acquired two assistants, Sera and Louisa, barely ten years old and working and chatting with her as they prepared the dinner. Daphne allowed each one to prepare one of the large, deep pans of the ratatouille, her extra ingredient of flavorful cheeses in the center before she popped the heavy pans into the oven. She laughed as the girls ran out, excited to tell others what they’d spent the afternoon doing.

  Vlad exhaled slowly, standing outside the huge kitchen and listening to her sing. She had sent him a text. Her phone was on the charger in their room. She’d gone to have the stitches removed and was heading to the ranch for their weekend. With her phone out of commission, she never received the message from the police about the stalker.

  He’d gone to their room first, smiling at the large, festive carpet bag she had her clothing in. She’d straightened the room, hung clothing and hid his suitcases beneath the old fashioned four poster bed. The drapes were wide and new candles sat patiently on the mantle and bedside stand. He opened a drawer on the nightstand and couldn’t stop his body from reacting to the new box of condoms she had brought.

  He’d always considered himself a man with supreme control, yet nothing in him had prepared him for the anger and anxiety he felt when the police contacted him. He didn’t know how to keep it from her. How to keep her safe without frightening her or angering her.

  “Somehow, you fit that kitchen to perfection,” he said softly, his breath catching deep inside him when she spun at the sound of his voice, her steps quick and light as she crossed the room and came instantly to his arms.

  Where she belonged, he thought fiercely.