Kentucky Magic

Kentucky Magic By Mlyn Hurn

He had always thought it a myth, but as he drove up one more knob he acknowledged that the hills of Kentucky really were blue! Of course, it was as beautiful as he’d been promised, and the pictures didn’t do it any kind of justice, even though they had been pivotal in his decision to buy this property. He pushed the last niggling doubt to the back of his mind, and checked the odometer on his brand new deluxe edition truck. Edward Johnson had always been a city-dweller, but his doctor had been warning him for ten years that he had to get out of the rat race or he’d be dead long before the finish. He was nearly fifty, and even though he had a little grey in his still thick, brown hair, his face and physically fit body allowed him to pass for at least ten years younger. No longer on the fast-track he had chosen to move out of the city and relax. Something caught his attention up ahead and slowed the truck until it rolled to a stop. On the opposite of the road, but walking in the same direction as he was headed, was a young child. Dressed in overalls, bright red T-shirt and sneakers, the boy, guessing by the fairly short haircut, was carrying a fishing pole. “Need a ride, son?” Edward offered, deciding now would be a good time to begin the neighborly way. The child turned towards him slowly and immediately he realized his mistake. The most beautiful blue eyes, with the longest brown eyelashes, stared at him for a moment, with disgust being the foremost expression on her face. “I told Kat she was cutting it too short, but she never listens to me!” The child spoke softly, Edward still heard her. Before he could apologize, the girl was walking around his truck. Quickly he leaned over to open the door and push it open. “Do you need help getting in?” he offered as the bright red head appeared. “If you hold my pole, I can climb up.” Without saying a word, Edward accepted the pole, and then watched as the nimble girl climbed easily into his truck. Passing the pole back after she’d closed the door, Edward put the truck in gear and eased it forward once again. “You’ll have to meet Kat or she’ll have my hide,” the little girl’s voice surprised

when she spoke a few seconds later. “I’m not supposed to ride with strangers.” Edward grimaced under the girl’s direct glance. “I’m Edward Johnson. I am moving into this area.” “Cool! You must be the guy everyone is talking about.” The girl grinned at him, clearly indicating she no longer considered him a stranger. “That property used to belong to us, but my great-grandfather lost it.” “I see. Uhm, mind if I ask how old you are?” Edward was beginning to suspect the child was older than her small size might indicate. “I’m short. All Sullivan women are short, except Kat. I’m thirteen but my body doesn’t know it yet. Oh, by the way, my name is Trina, short for Katrina.” “No school today?” Edward asked politely, wondering if he should have stopped after all. Giving a ride to a small child was one thing, but if he had a precocious teen on his hands— “Christmas break, silly! I go to Johnson Central High School and we got a few extra days. Tommy says we got time off for good behavior!” Edward watched as the young girl laughed. “Who is Tommy?” “A friend of mine. We’ve been in school together since as long as I can remember. I was getting picked on because of my size and Tommy came over and no one has dared to do so again. Oh, there’s our place,” Trina pointed to the white house on the corner where the road curved to start back into the higher hills. Edward turned into the gravel drive which led to the house. It was a small house, and looked like it needed some repairs, but all of the other things scattered about told a different story. There were several outdoor style wreaths hanging up, along with a ceramic white goose, and baby, who were dressed for the season. The mother was dressed as Mrs. Claus and the baby goose had on stuffed reindeer antlers. “Looks like you are ready for Christmas?” Edward said with a grin. He saw the flush stain Trina’s cheeks. “Kat loves to decorate for the holidays. Well, I’d better get going. It looks like she isn’t home so you will escape Katherine the Great’s personal form of the Spanish Inquisition.” Trina opened the door and slid out. Reaching back for the fishing rod, she smiled at Edward. He had no doubt that this young lady was going to be a heart breaker. “Hey, would you like to come for dinner one night? We’d love to have you

come down the mountain top.” “Is that what they call the property I’ve purchased? You make me sound like Moses. I’m not that old,” Edward protested with a smile. “I didn’t mean to insult you. And if Kat were here, she’d be inviting you. I don’t imagine you have a phone number yet.” Reaching into his shirt pocket, Edward pulled a business card and leaned across the seat to hand it to Trina. “I do actually. All of the information is on the card.” Trina scanned the card before she looked back up at him. “Wow! You are like super-efficient. I guess that sort of explains all the trucks and workers coming and going from the mountain the last couple of weeks. There’s been lots of talk in town about what is being done to modernize the place.” “Yes, the last work was scheduled to be completed yesterday. Give me a little time to settle in and I’ll invite you and your mother to join me for dinner.” “Oh, but—” Trina stopped as she heard the phone ringing. “I have to go grab that. Thanks for the ride, Mr. Johnson.” “Call me Edward, Trina. Bye!” With a final wave at the door, Trina disappeared into the house. Backing the truck back down the drive, Edward turned at the corner and continued up the smaller, private road which meandered for a mile until it opened up in the open space where the house had been built. Driving to the front door, which was new and each had a large oval glass in the middle and the glass was beveled and leaded, he paused to take in the whole ambience of his new home. The history of the house was quite old, dating back to beginning of Paintsville itself. His research into the area had revealed that it had started out early in the nineteenth century as Paint Creek Station. The name of the creek and town refer to Indian drawings found on trees in the area. The town was laid on it 1826, and established in 1834. As the population grew, the post office, known as Paint Creek, was called Paintsville by 1843. He guessed that pretty much described him—he was a man who researched everything so he could make an informed decision. It had always kept him at the top of his class and when he added commitment and dedication, it had helped him become successful enough to buy this land, retire and live off investments. The house was composed of stone and wood, and blended in perfectly with the

surrounding mountain. He was anxious to get in the house and see the view, which was its true selling point. Jumping out of the truck, he walked over and unlocked his front door. It struck as kind of funny, but he almost wished he were married so he could be sharing this with someone he loved and loved him. Shaking off the strange feelings, he entered the house. The inside was amazing, after all the work he’d arranged. It was modernized, discreetly, to keep with the ambience of the house. Since he’d seen plenty of pictures and the plans of the house, he knew exactly where to find the family room, located off the kitchen, and where there was a long, tall bank of windows overlooking the lake and hills in the distance. He slid open one of the glass doors and walked out onto the wide deck. The view was all that made eastern Kentucky famous. THUMP! Edward turned immediately. The sound had come from inside the house. Damn! Surely an animal hadn't gotten in? Walking back into the family room, he quietly waited to hear any sounds the intruder might make. SCRATCH! Quickly he crossed the room and went down the short hall. Taking the stairs up to the second floor, he had four doors to choose for a possible location of the intruder. Edward paused as he considered four closed doors. That meant the robber had closed the door behind himself upon entering his chosen room, or an animal had snuck in through an open window. Checking the two smaller rooms first, he skipped the door which led to a walk-in linen closet. Opening the master-bedroom door, he looked around. A flash caught his eye and he saw something, or someone, on the bedroom’s porch and climbing down to the larger deck. “Damn it all!” Edward cursed loudly and turned to run back downstairs to catch the culprit. As he reached the family room he saw that he’d left the glass door open, allowing the intruder to re-enter the house. Looking around, the doorbell ringing distracted him. With clenched fists, he walked over to the front door. Flinging the right one open, he felt like the air was knocked out of his chest. Standing in front of him was a fully grown version of the teenager he’d just given a lift to in his truck. Knowing it wasn’t possible, he shook his head. But the woman didn’t disappear. Instead she smiled and pushed a decorated basket towards him.

“Welcome to Paintsville, and my name is Katherine Sullivan.” Edward blinked under the power of that smile. She wasn’t beautiful in the traditional sense, but her smile, full lips, and those wide, deep-blue eyes added up to a quirky attractiveness. Her hair was auburn and cut short, impish. As he accepted the basket, Edward got to see her body. Unfortunately, it was nicely disguised by a loose pair jeans overalls and a flannel shirt covering her top half. “Uhm, thank you, Ms. Sullivan, Edward Johnson.” Katherine nodded her head. “Yes I know. You have been the talk of the town for the last few months.” Edward stepped back, gesturing for Katherine to enter his house. Katherine shook her head negatively, still smiling. “I can’t stay. My niece should be getting home soon. I like to be home when she comes in.” “Was she fishing?” Edward asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer. Not that it would have made a difference if she had been Trina’s mother instead of her aunt. Of course, a husband in the picture would have caused a problem… he paused. Katherine could still be married, even if the cute sprite he’d met earlier was not her child. Hell! Maybe she had a houseful of children! “Uhm, yes she was.” Edward saw the concern in her face and rushed to reassure her with his reply. “I gave her a lift home. And if you still feel the need to give her the don’t accept rides from strangers’ speech, then you should know that she was suitably wary.” “I’m guessing she was alone or you probably wouldn't have stopped.” “Hey! I take exception with that.” Edward protested, more because of the thoughts in his head than what her words implied. “Please, I didn’t mean to imply that you were preying on her. It’s just that if she hadn't been alone, Tommy would have been with her and no way in hell would he have let her get into a stranger’s vehicle.” Edward grinned, nodding his head. “Trina did mention him. He sounds to me like a knight in shining armor.” Katherine nodded. “I believe that’s how she sees him as well. Hopefully things will stay on the soulful level until she’s thirty. Well, I need to get going. It was nice meeting you.”

Edward barely had time to say the same and she was gone. That’s when he realized that she hadn't arrived in a car. He’d been watching her walk away, enjoying the slight sway of hips beneath the overalls, when the truck blocked his view for a moment. He moved his eyes to the far side to the truck, but she never appeared. Suddenly he looked down at his hands to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. No, the basket was there… proof that the woman had indeed been on his doorstop moments earlier. Finally he shrugged, thinking that there had to be a path which she took down to her house. Slowly he began carrying in all of his luggage and the belongings he’d brought with him from Lexington. He’d only been in Johnson County a few hours and he already knew two people—not too bad for a city-guy!

Chapter 2 “Trina!” Katherine Sullivan yelled her niece’s name the second she walked through the back door of the small house they shared. She wasn’t very happy about two things, and only one of them could she do anything about. Looking down, she saw the mud on her sneakers and kicked them off. “Trina? Where are you?” “I’m in the living room, Kat, on the phone!” Katherine had little doubt as to who her niece was talking to at the moment. Walking in the living room, she saw Trina was lying on the floor, with her bare feet propped on the sofa cushions. It was obvious from the cotton between the young girl’s toes that the bright red toenail polish was new. “We need to talk, Trina. Say goodbye to Tommy.” Katherine announced her intentions and obviously expected them to be adhered to because she kept on walking down the hall to her bedroom. Within her bedroom, the soft lavender and green shades helped her relax and regain some balance to her inner spirits. Ever since Edward Johnson had flung open his front door she’d been having trouble breathing. She hadn't felt this kind of attraction since high school, and that had been thirty-odd years ago. Everything about him shouted that he was out of her league. Removing her flannel shirt, she acknowledged that while it would have been normal to be out of breath and accept that she’d almost been caught burglarizing his new home, she was upset because she found the new neighbor a hunk. “The new guy is such a hunk, Kat! Even for an old guy!” Katherine spun around to face Trina. It had caught her off guard for her niece to speak her thoughts out loud. Except the old part. At almost forty-three, he had looked perfect for her. Good Lord! She meant to her, not for her. Was she losing her mind now? “Yoo hoo, Kat! You wanted to talk, remember?” Trina reminded her aunt as she flopped across the bed. “Tommy was so mad when I told him I met the new neighbor.” She giggled as she sat up to hug her knees to her chest. “Of course I neglected to mention how old he is. A little jealousy might do Tommy McKenzie some good. Now, what did you want to talk about?” Katherine shook her head at the beautiful girl growing up so fast. “I was going to give you the ‘stranger’ speech, but now I think I have something bigger to worry about.” Trina shook her head. “No you don’t, Kat. I’m going to marry Tommy McKenzie one

day, but we’re not doing it with shotguns in the picture. College first, then I get my master’s—” “Followed by your PhD.” Kat interrupted the girl’s oft repeated speech. Trina grinned. “Yes. After that, you get to plan a huge wedding using all the money Tommy is going to make.” “Being generous with my expectations, sweetie, that is approximately fifteen years from now and I’ll be—” “Happily married to the hunk on the hill.” Katherine gasped at Trina’s words. Being psychic was something that ran in their family… at least in the females. Katherine had realized her skills at foretelling things very early in her life. But other than letting her make a living and stay in Paintsville, Being able to know things in advance had the seemed more of a curse than a blessing to her. Trina had come to live with her at a very young age following the death of her parents in a car accident. Not once had Katherine ever wanted to discover whether or not her niece might have the Sullivan psychic power. Still there was every chance that Trina had merely been speaking her wishes out loud rather than any kind of psychic foretelling of the future. Katherine was completely aware of the fact that the relationship she had with Trina was more like a single mother rather than a one between a niece and her aunt. And it also was quite common for children of single parents to try and fix them up with dates and so on. She didn’t want to jump the gun and assume Trina could— “I didn’t see it until I’d been home for a while, Kat. It didn’t happen while I was in the truck with Edward. More like thirty minutes ago, while I was on the phone with Tommy.” Katherine saw the reluctance on her niece’s beautiful face. “How long have you—” “Have I known? Since I was little, Aunt Katherine. But I saw how you felt and so I kept quiet.” Katherine looked at her niece, who was really more like her daughter, and her heart ached. Sitting on the bed, she hugged Trina tightly. “I’m sorry, Trina. I should have been there for you. Instead you’ve kept all these—” Trina gently pushed back from her aunt. “Kat, I’m okay. I’ve always been all right with this… the power. I never brought it up because I didn’t want to hurt you. And

maybe I’m wrong about the future I saw for you. It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part.” “You are silly, squirt!” Katherine tapped Trina’s nose lightly with her index finger. “ Now, let’s talk about dinner.” Katherine moved over to her closet, slipping off the overalls and pulling a lightweight cotton dress. “I still can’t believe how warm it is this year.” Trina nodded as she came off the bed. “Yeah. Tommy said it’s possible that we’ll beat the record of seventy-nine degrees.” “Let’s go cook dinner, okay?” Hooking arms, the two Sullivan women walked to their small kitchen.

***** Edward took the next three days to settle into his new home. His first night sleeping was difficult due to the sounds of nature partying just beyond his four walls. On the fourth day he was glad when the phone rang. “Hello?” “Hi, Mr. Johnson! This is Trina. Do you remember that we met the other day?” Edward grinned at the excitement and enthusiasm he heard in the young girl’s voice. “Of course I remember you, Trina. Who could forget such a beautiful vision walking on the side of the road?” More giggling answered his question. Trina finally stopped laughing long enough to ask him a question. “I am Calling to see if you can come over tonight for some dinner. Cat and I Would really like to have you join us if you can?” “That sounds like a Good idea Trina but how about you and your aunt join me for some barbecue. It looks like it will stay warm right up until later this evening. I have already set the grill up and I have steaks, burger’s and hot dogs in the refrigerator. That way you and your aunt could give me some tips on how to decorate this place. I sold most of my furniture in Lexington and I will need to buy new soon. What I do have is some great deck chairs and tables, which is why I suggested the barbecue. So what do you say?” “That is really nice of you, Mr. Johnson but I have already invited someone else to join us as well.”

Edward grinned as he replied. “Tell you what, Trina, call Tommy and ask him to join us here. How’s that?” He could hear Trina’s laughter through the phone line as she started to reply. “Gee Mr. Johnson you are so cool!” “Thanks Trina, and please call me Edward. How does six-thirty sound?” “It’s a plan and we’ll be there!” Edward grinned at the disconnected receiver in his hand. He’d forgotten how boisterous and engaging children, even teens, could be. Shrugging his shoulders, he decided to get busy or his guests would be here before he was ready.

***** Edward finally turned out the last light. God! He couldn't remember the last time he’ d laughed as much as he had this evening. Between Trina and Tommy the gentle jesting and bad jokes never stopped. By the end of the first awkward half hour he felt as if he’d known these two kids since they were born. Towel drying his hair a little bit longer before he climbed into bed, he considered his other dinner guest. Katherine was something else entirely. She’d shown up wearing a cotton dress and every time the breeze blew, he went a little crazy looking at her. Tossing the towel aside, he crossed and slid open one of the glass doors a few inches. In spite of Christmas being less than a week away, the temperature continued to flirt around seventy degrees and above. Hopefully it would cool off some by Christmas time, although he wasn’t sure snow would be a good idea. Crawling into bed, Edward decided he could always ask Katherine for some lessons on driving in snow and on ice. He closed eyes and soon drifted to sleep.

Chapter 3 Katherine looked at her watch once again. It had been thirty minutes since the light went out upstairs. The drug she’d slipped into Edward’s last glass of wine should have him deeply asleep by now. She hated doing it this way, but telling him what she wanted wasn’t part of the plan either. Taking a deep breath, she began climbing up the trellis at the one end of the deck. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he’d left the door open. Breaking a lock to get in was something she really didn’t want to do. She crossed the bedroom silently to the closet. As quietly as possible she opened the door and slipped inside. Easing it closed, she finally turned on her flashlight. Going under the clothes hanging on the right side, she started to press against the wall panels, hoping to find the correct one quickly. If only she’d had a little longer the day Edward arrived, she was sure she’d have found it then. The problem was that when she’d finally gotten the journal deciphered, work for the remodeling had already begun. Discovering that she had less than one day to get into the house and find it had made her stress out, which had made her all thumbs. Hopefully she’d find the right panel and be out of here before Edward could awaken. Suddenly the wall fell away beneath her hand. “Damn!” she muttered as she fell against the rest of wall, bruising her shoulder. Hating the idea of putting her hand somewhere she couldn't see, she quickly flashed the light front and back. With any luck all the creepy crawling things would scurry to anywhere but here. Shifting about on the floor she finally stuck her hand back, feeling around. “Family legends, journals of secrets and magical pendants my ass,” she muttered softly. The whole time she continued to wiggle her fingers about, trying to find the so-called mystical necklace. “Great-grand pappy if you were here right now I’d be cramming this damned thing down your throat!”

***** Edward was nearly asleep when he heard a creaking noise in his bedroom. Lifting his head, he caught sight of the black figure moving into his closet. As the person turned to enter the walk-in closet, the moonlight was bright enough to silhouette the body. Since he’d spent the whole evening watching it, he easily recognized the rounded curves.

Damn! He had hoped the fact that he’d seen Katherine holding a capsule over his wine glass, followed by the funny taste, had been a figment of his imagination. He’d rationalized that perhaps she’d been taking some kind of medicine herself. But after the questionable flavor-change in the wine, added to the undisputable fact that she was now breaking and entering his home, he accepted the fact that Katherine had attempted to drug him. He was sure it had been done so she could get in and back out without getting caught. As he eased silently out of bed, he did wonder why the hell anyone would burglarize his closet. As Edward neared the closet he could hear Katherine talking. “Great-grand pappy if you were… now I’d be… this damned thing down—” Edward fought back a grin. The other important fact beyond Katherine burglarizing his closet was that there really was something worth stealing, or at least in her opinion. “Ah ha!” He smiled as he listened to Katherine. Perhaps she’d found this so-called important thing. He moved away, deciding his next plan of action.

Katherine was nervous as she pulled the small pouch from within its secret hiding place for who knew how many years. Shaking the pouch was a mistake, which Katherine realized about two seconds later as the dust floated through the air. “Achoo!” Katherine froze as she realized what had just happened. “Damn!” she added more quietly. Please God let Edward still be asleep. Standing she re-stirred the dirt, which unfortunately kicked in as she reopened the closet door. “Mmm-aaachoooooo! Oh shit!” She dropped the flash light in surprise and realization that she’d just blown the whole thing. Unfortunately it thudded loudly, so quickly deciding to cut her losses Katherine took off towards the open glass door. Near the foot of the bed she was tackled like a professional linebacker. They flew through the air and landed on the bed. It took her a few seconds before she realized that she was now flat on her back and Edward was atop her, straddling her thighs. Breathing hard, and still startled, she looked up at him. It was still dark, and it could be someone other than Edward. CLAP CLAP The lights came on immediately and she had to squint as the brightness startled her

pupils. After a few seconds, she eased her eyelids wider. The first thing she noticed was Edward was not just shirtless, he was buck-ass naked! And hot damn, as her great-aunt Hazel used to say, Edward was one damn fine buck indeed! “Good evening, Katherine. Did you forget something?” Edward’s calm voice caused her to giggle nervously. “You’re probably wondering what I was doing in your closet, right?” “If it wouldn't be too great an imposition, I think an explanation should do something to ease my doubts.” “Uhm… do you think you might put some clothes on first?” Katherine hated to cover the best looking man she’d probably ever seen, but she did need to focus on the facts. And the fact that she was becoming more aroused as she stared at him wasn’t helping. “How about I turn the lights back off? I’m not sure you won’t decide to run if I get off you.” Edward clapped again and turned off the lights. Katherine nodded. “Well, I could promise, but I’m guessing that my actions haven’t inspired you to trust me now.” “You were in the house the other day, weren’t you? Since you couldn't disappear fast enough, you pulled that stunt of knocking on the front door.” Katherine nodded once again. “I am sorry. I only needed five more minutes and you never would have known I’d been in here.” She smiled up at him. In the moonlight, which was bright once again across the bed, she could see his chiseled features, strong neck and his broad shoulders. Damn! Why did he have to be so frickin’ good looking? “I’m sorry, but what was the last thing you said?” Katherine flushed hotly as she realized her thoughts had been spoken out loud. “ Oh, uhm, nothing… it’s just that I had to find this—” she held up the small packet in her hand, before going on. “Once I had the journal deciphered, you had all those people crawling all over the place.” “What is so vitally important that you attempted to drug me in order to steal it from my house?” She saw the way his one eyebrow quirked upwards, non-verbally questioning her as well. It seemed every little thing Edward did was affecting her physically, arousing her. Unnerving was that he most likely had no idea how he was seducing her, and it was

even more possible that if he had been attracted to her, she’d blown it now. Maybe he could forgive the stealing thing… once he knew the full story. But trying to drug him… well, that was a lot more serious. “You saw me?” she asked him softly. “I saw the capsule, and then my wine tasted strange.” “Why aren’t you asleep?” Edward grinned. “I poured the wine onto one of my plants.” “Oh no! I can check the plant tomorrow, and make sure there hasn’t been any damage. It might need to be flushed and even repotted.” “That has to be a first! My burglar offering to care for my plants.” “This belongs to me, so technically I’m only breaking and entering. And since the door was open, I’m guilty of just entering.” Katherine smiled up at Edward, hoping he would see and agree with her logic. Instead Edward surprised her by grabbing the small pouch from her hand. “What do you have in here?” “No! You mustn’t open it!” It was too late. Katherine watched as the pendant she’d only heard stories about since she was a very young girl, fell into Edward’s hand. The gold chain dangled and the gold encased stone was flat against his palm.

Chapter 4 Edward looked at the pendant in his hand. Whatever he’d thought Katherine might consider valuable enough to steal, a cheap piece of costume jewelry had not been it. Immediately he felt warmth in his palm as he looked at the stone. He was aware of the heat traveling slowly up his arm and he frowned. For a moment he questioned whether the pendant had some kind of weird power, but then he shook his head negatively. Hell! That kind of shit only happened in the movies, or fanciful books. The heat was now moving across his chest and seemed to be enveloping his heart. As if he no longer controlled his body, his eyes were compelled to move from the pendant in his hand to meet Katherine’s. God! He couldn't believe the desire burrowing through his body. Of course, he’d been attracted to her from the first time he saw her. But this was different. It was the kind of need to meld with another and become one. It was crazy. “You must look away, Edward. It’s not too late,” Katherine met his eyes. Edward realized that her eyes were like deep pools that he knew would cool him and slake his thirst as nothing ever had before. Dimly he was aware of Katherine speaking to him, and her voice was soft, lilting with a touch of a southern accent. He lifted the hand with the pendant and pressed the cool metal against his chest, directly over his heart. Now, he needed to press this directly to Katherine’s skin, just above her heart also. “Edward! Stop what you are doing, now. It isn’t impossible. You need to focus and stop.” Edward smiled at her, shaking his head negatively. “Shh,” he whispered as his hands grabbed hold of the black sweater. Without pause, he pulled it upwards and Katherine lifted her arms. Edward looked at her naked torso, now lit by the cool moonlight streaming into the room. Turning his hand palm down, he moved towards her heart. “You are so beautiful, Katherine.” “Edward, if you stop now—” “Hush, my sweet. Now, hold still!” His hand pressed the pendant over her heart. “ Just one more thing to do and we will be complete.” Katherine closed her eyes as she heard Edward recite the exact words from the

ancient ritual associated with the magical pendant. All that was required now was for Edward to press his chest against hers, locking the pendant between them. This wasn’t what she had wanted to happen when she set out to find the mythical pendant. The heat of his hand pressed to her body was nothing compared to the devouring fire that started as his flesh met hers. The pendant remained over her heart and Edward’s chest pressed lightly against her. The power was sweeping through her. It was stronger than any psychic power she’d ever felt or any magical spell conjured up by herself or another. The love was moving through them both, traveling through the veins and arteries and sending electric bolts through each and every nerve ending. Opening her eyes, she saw Edward was watching her intently. Slowly he straightened back up and this time he moved off her. Katherine took a deep breath and started to sit up. He moved swiftly and slipped the golden chain around her neck. The pendant fell to lie between her breasts. “Do you want me to go now, Edward?” Katherine asked quietly, reaching for her sweater. Maybe he would let her go— “No, Katherine. I want to make love to you.” He reached out covered her right breast with his hand. She wasn’t particularly gifted in the area, but his palm was curved around the firm breast. Her taut, distended nipple pressed eagerly forward. Whether she moved, or his hand shifted, her sensitive bud rubbed against his flesh. Katherine wanted to deny that she bowed her back on purpose, which pushed her breast more fully into his grasp. “God! You feel so sweet. I need to kiss you.” Edward pulled her into his arms, covering her lips with his. Katherine told her body to resist him, or at the very least not help him! But she opened her mouth and welcomed his tongue eagerly. Her hands lifted to caress his chest, upwards to his shoulders. It felt like tiny electric explosions went off in her fingertips every time she touched him. But when Edward pressed his hand to her flesh, she felt like the explosions were happening not just on her skin. No. They traveled along her nerve endings and were setting her libido into over drive. It was silly, but she still felt compelled to tell him. “I need you Edward. Take me. Make love to me, please.” “Hush, darling. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than making love to you.” Before she could think, or reply, Edward turned them on the bed. Her shoes disappeared. Did she kick them off or did he remove them? She lifted her hips as his

hands tugged her pants over her hips and down her thighs. Yes, she was sure that she pushed them the rest of way down, only to send them flying with a kick of her leg. Beyond that, thinking was becoming more difficult with each passing moment. When Edward’s mouth moved down the side of her neck, Katherine stopped thinking about what he was doing to her body. From here on out, all she did was feel, savor, and simply languish in all the wonderful ways he made her body respond. She was drowning in sensual delights. The sucking of her nipple brought soft sighs from her throat. With his hand between her thighs, she shifted on the bed. His fingers moved skillfully across her smooth lips. Katherine moved her thighs further apart, hoping he would proceed further. “Yes, Edward,” she whispered close to his ear. Caressing her fingers through his short, dark hair, Katherine pressed her lips to the side of his neck. She nibbled gently to his ear lobe and then she nipped it firmly. “Now, please!” she demanded fiercely a few seconds later. Grinning at her, Edward moved above her. “Your pleasure is my command. Tell me what gives you the sweetest of satisfaction.” Katherine felt herself blush in the moonlit room. “Uhm… I don’t have much experience—” “Shh. It’s all right, Katherine. My pleasure will come in giving you satiation.” Edward moved his hand, his fingers. “Oh God!” Katherine groaned when she felt his fingers so deftly feeling his way. While he was seeking the perfect point to pleasure her, she sensed that to Edward, the journey was sweet and should be savored, equally with the goal and attaining it. His clever touches revealed the path to her and pleasure began rising through out her body. There was no warning as the cataclysmic event crashed her nervous system. Without rhyme or reason, Katherine’s muscles began jerking and flexing for several long seconds. Then they settled into irregular quivers and shivers for the final reactions traveling around her body.

Edward considered for a few moments, really just two heartbeats, before he withdrew his hand and thrust into Katherine’s still quivering body.

“God!” he muttered, surprised at the tightness which enclosed him. He reached towards her thighs, but as if she read his mind, her legs were already lifting and encircling his hips. “Yes, that’s it, Katherine.” Beginning slowly, he moved in and out of the intoxicating flesh which held his cock so securely. Edward stared at Katherine’s face. He felt the need to connect with her on a deeper level than just physically. “Keep looking at my eyes, Katherine. I want us to be together, more than physically. ” Her eyes opened and Edward felt like he was falling into the ocean that was Katherine. He felt that he needed to think, to slow down before this was over much too soon, but that was impossible. His body demanded satisfaction and release. From a distance he heard Katherine’s voice speaking to him. “Yes, Edward, come inside me. I need you. Please!” As if he required further encouragement, Edward began moving more quickly. His thrusts were shorter and faster until he climaxed. His back arched and he groaned loudly. He realized that this was beyond great, and most likely the best sex for longer than he could remember. Wishing he could stay inside her longer, the slight shaking in his upper arms and shoulders told him he couldn't. Separating from Katherine, he dropped onto the bed beside her. “Wow, honey!” Edward murmured quietly as he dragged air in and out of his lungs. He couldn't believe how good he felt right now. It was amazing— “I need to get going.” Edward rolled to his side to look at Katherine. He reached out and put his hand flat on her belly. “Wait a minute! What’s the rush?” Propping himself up on his elbow, he looked at the woman lying beside him. Her short hair was mussed sexily and her eyes looked like dark pools. Her lips were full and looked slightly bruised. On the side of her neck, the area that he’d sucked too heavily was already making its presence known. Moving his eyes down, he stared at her pert breasts. The nipples were still distended and he couldn't resist sliding his hand upwards and cupping her farthest breast. For at least a minute, Edward played with her breast, pausing to pay extra attention to her nipple. He then slid his hand over to pick up the pendant. “Tell me about this

little trinket first.” Katherine took a deep breath. “You need not feel that this… uhm, well, I don’t expect anything—” She stopped abruptly as she realized how bad that sounded. “I expect quite a bit though.” Katherine quickly looked away from Edward’s eyes. “I mean that you aren’t responsible for what just happened, and I understand that you were powerless.” Edward dropped the pendant, pressing his hand to her stomach again. “I’m not a guy that shies away from responsibility. I can take criticism in bed and I believe that I’ve always been open to suggestions and requests. But Katherine, powerless?” “Oh my, God! I didn’t mean that. No, not all, Edward, it was nice. Wait… uhm it was more than nice, really. I meant to say that it was fantastic. Great… uhh, oh… now I remember. Mind-blowing! That’s the right word.” Wishing she could hide under the covers, she finally shut up. Should she apologize? Everything was getting all screwed up! Damn it! “I don’t think things are screwed up at all, sweetheart. You need to take some deep breaths and calm down. I should have shut up about the powerless thing, Katherine. But I was trying to tease you a little and ease the tension I could feel.” Katherine lifted her hand and covered her eyes. Even though she was the one who kept mucking things up, Edward was the one who apologized. Dear God, how did she get so lucky to meet Edward? Was it truly fate that he’d taken the pendant into his hand? “It’s my fault,” she mumbled, unable to stop the emotional tears welling up. Edward pulled her hand away. “You seem to think, if I gathered the facts correctly, that this pendant forced me to make love to you. Is that correct?” Katherine nodded, sniffling loudly. “I suppose the fact that I have a sexy woman in my bed for the first in a long time had nothing to do with it.” Katherine shook her head negatively. “If you had not held the pendant, none of this would have happened.” “Well that would have sucked, in my opinion.” Katherine couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that burst out. “Yes, but it did happen. We can’t pretend it didn’t.” “You’re saying that there is no way we can go without making love again?” Edward

asked quietly, but Katherine saw the way his one eyebrow went up, expressing his disbelief. “Yes. You held the pendant and said the words.” “What words, sweetheart?” “You said ‘we will be complete.’ Then you completed the ritual by placing the pendant to your heart, mine and finally between us.” “Katherine, honestly, do you think the pendant controlled me? Us?” “It’s magical. The pendant is quite old—” “And the fact that I’ve been attracted to you from the moment I saw you had nothing to do with it? Or that I had the ‘hots’ for you all evening?” Katherine could feel the heat zoom through her at his words. At least she knew that the looks he’d been giving her all evening were exactly what she’d thought. She couldn't stop her lips from curving upwards. “Maybe too much wine?” “Not on my part. I was completely sober when I tackled you. By the way, I didn’t hurt you, did I?” “No, I’m fine. Actually, I’m a whole heck of a lot better than fine.” Edward grinned in reply. “So am I. In my humble opinion, Christmas just came to me early.” Katherine wasn’t completely sure what he meant. “I’m your Christmas present from Santa?” “Well, I’m going to unwrap you quite a few more times before Christmas actually gets here. But in my family, if you were lucky enough to get a gift prior to Christmas morning, it was considered extra special because it came from Mama Claus, not Santa.” “That’s an awfully sweet sentiment.” “It was my grandmother who started that tradition. My brothers have continued it with their children and even a few grandchildren now.” “I think that’s a lovely tradition. Uhm, do you have any children?” “No, sweetheart, I don’t. No ex-wives either, lurking in my background. I’ve been all business for too many years, which is how I ended up here.” “In bed with me you mean?” “Yes. Maybe this is fate, kismet, or due to some magical pendant. All I care about is that we are here, together. Katherine, this is what I want. I don’t have a single doubt. In

fact, I think I knew from the first moment that I saw you.” Edward leaned down and kissed Katherine’s soft mouth. She sighed as he cupped his hand over her breast once again. Suddenly a strange thought popped up and she had to push Edward away for a moment. “I know this might sound weird, but you don’t think that because you met Trina first… I mean I know we look a lot alike.” Edward shook his head. “You twit. Trina is the girl-child that you once were. When I see her that is what I see. The lovely girl I never had a chance to meet. You are the full bloom of her promise that some young man will one day discover in her. But you Katherine are beautiful and wonderful and everything I want and need.” “We’ve only just met, really.” “Is this the go slow speech? I can do that, Katherine. I’m not a brute who has to eat it all at one go. Small meals work just as well.” Edward slid his hand down her body, cupping her mound as his fingers slipped between her wet lips. Moving around, his fingers found her clit. He didn’t touch her outright, but rather circled around the sensitive flesh. His voice was deep and hoarse as he spoke to her. “I like to nibble.” Katherine gasped as his fingers zeroed right in on her clit. Over and over he teased her flesh until her hips were jerking and pressing onto his hand to heighten the sensations. Before she peaked with just Edward’s fingers, he moved over her once again. His cock filled her body slowly this time. He began a slow dance that worked her passion upwards once again. Her orgasm shook her entire body, and it was such an incredible sensation having him so deep inside her. Katherine watched Edward’s face as he continued thrusting into her. The words inside her could be contained no more. “I love you, Edward.” Edward paused and smiled at her. “I love you also, Katherine. Welcome back home. ” Katherine held Edward tightly as he soon climaxed deep inside her. Thanks Mama Claus, she thought to herself. Thank you very, very much.

Epilogue

Trina propped her feet on the deck rail as she waited for the phone to be answered. She was so tired— “Hi Tommy! Did you miss me at school today?” “Of course I did. Where were you? What’s going on?” “I just got home from the hospital, Tommy.” “Are you okay?” “Oh, yeah, Tommy. Sorry. The baby came halfway through the night. Edward brought me home. He grabbed a shower and headed back to the hospital. Katherine wanted to make sure I got a good night’s sleep so I won’t miss school tomorrow.” “Considerate of her, huh?” Trina giggled. “Yeah, she pointed that out.” “So, you feel any older?” “Why would I feel older?” “Aren’t you some kind of aunt or older sister now?” Trina frowned and shifted her feet on the rail. “I don’t know. But I think I just got a new uncle, except he’s fourteen years younger than I am.” “This means lots of baby sitting.” “Of which you’ll have to come over and help. After all, you are the one with the kid experience.” Trina giggled into the phone. “You’ll never guess what they called him.” “The kid? Bugs Bunny? Rooster Cogburn?” “Stop! Now you’re just being silly, as Katherine tells Edward. Must be a ‘man thing.’ Anyway, they are calling him Thomas Sullivan Johnson. I’ve already started saying ‘little Tom’ to him.” “Why Thomas?” Tommy asked, his curiosity coming through clearly across the phone line. “Edward’s father. I guess all of his family will be coming to visit before long.” “You won’t know what to do now that you aren’t the only kid in the house,” Tommy pointed out. “I’ll get by, as usual. Oh, anyway you could come over for a while tonight?” “My mom just walked by and told me to invite you here for supper. Craig said he’d give me a ride over to pick you up.”

“Okay, I’ll call Kat from your place. That sounds better much better than another frozen dinner in the microwave. Besides, there is something I wanted to show you tonight.” “What’s that?” “It’s a secret, but you have to promise not to touch it.” Trina wasn’t too surprised by the silence that first followed her words and then Tom’s loud sigh. “You have lots of places that you’ve made me promise not to touch yet. What’s one more?” Trina giggled as she lifted the golden pendant where it had been hidden beneath her shirt. “I know Tom, and when the time is right… we’ll do all the touching we want. When it’s our time.” She wasn’t a girl who played with fire. Katherine had often told her that she was older and wiser than her age would suggest. Trina had confidence that she was a young woman who knew who and what she wanted. All she needed was for time to pass… then she and Tom would use the pendant to start their lives together. When the time was right—

The End