Chapter 21

Back in their hotel room that night, Gabe needed a moment to reflect. He excused himself and retreated to the impressive green marble bathroom. If he turned on the shower, she would probably join him, so he simply sat on the edge of the tub for a few minutes.

All afternoon, Misty had been nothing but excited about the prospect of becoming a muse. There were certain advantages to him too, if he were honest.

Not having to worry about her health was a biggie. Even the inevitable—death—would no longer be a problem! No wonder his older brothers were so damn happy. Well, two out of the three. As far as he knew, Sandra was still very human. And until recently, his own mother was in the dark when it came to Gaia’s existence. So his father and Miguel were still willing to risk loss in order to love.

So was he. Misty didn’t have to do this, and he needed to make sure she knew it.

A knock at the door made him smile. He was tempted to be a smart-ass and ask Who is it?

“Can I come in?” Misty asked through the door.

“Sure.”

As soon as she stepped in, he perused her naked body. Even six months pregnant, she was beautiful. Her hair had grown longer and shinier than ever. It was almost to her waist. Her breasts were noticeably fuller, getting ready to nurse their child.

“Would you like to join me in the shower?” Gabe asked.

“Maybe in a minute. First, I want to apologize.”

Surprised, Gabe asked, “For what?”

She sat next to him on the tub and took his hand in hers. Her beautiful blue eyes conveyed a touch of sadness. “I’ve been so excited about this whole muse thing, I didn’t even consider how you would feel about it. I want to know what you think.”

Gabe slipped his arm around her shoulder. “Actually, I was just mulling the whole thing over in my mind. The only thing I’ve decided for certain is that you don’t have to take this on if you don’t want to. Don’t worry about me worrying about you. We’ll cope no matter what. I know it’s tempting, but if you have any misgivings at all, I want you to investigate them before making a final decision.”

“Thank you.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “I was getting a little carried away earlier. I think I ought to talk to Kristine or Chloe. Do you have their phone numbers?”

“No need,” Kristine’s voice announced. “Gaia said you might want to talk.”

Misty’s gaze ricocheted all over the bathroom as she covered her breasts and mons with her hands. “Where are you? Can you see me?”

“I’m in the ether, facing the other way.”

Sure you are… Gabe almost snickered. Thank goodness he was still dressed.

“Give me a minute to throw on a robe, okay?” Misty dashed to the bedroom, and Gabe followed her. She wrapped herself in her red satin robe and tied it above her belly. Even though it was opaque, it was sexy as hell, clinging to her curves and leaving little to the imagination.

“Ready,” she called out.

Kristine appeared near their window, looking out at the view. She turned around and smiled. “Beautiful room you have here. I was hoping you’d have a view of the Grand Canal, and I see that you do.”

Still barefoot, Misty crossed the painted tile floor. “Yes. It’s a terrific view. Be sure to tell everyone thank you for us when you get back.” As soon as she reached her sister-in-law, they hugged.

Kristine backed up, still holding Misty’s shoulders. Glancing down, she said, “Your baby’s growing by leaps and bounds. Is it seven months already?”

“Six.” There was a bench near the window, and Misty sat on it, patting the space next to her. “Have a seat, Kristine.”

“I can’t stay. I have dinner in the oven. I set the timer so I can hear it. There’s about fifteen minutes before the lasagna is done.”

Gabe wandered over and took the seat next to Misty. “Mmm, lasagna. I know what I’ll be ordering when we go out tonight.”

Misty laughed. “All he thinks about is his stomach.”

He patted her expanding belly. “And yours.”

Kristine grinned. “You two are the perfect pair. I’m so glad you got together.”

Gabe took Misty’s hand and kissed it. “We are too.”

“So, what would you like to know about being a muse?”

Misty shrugged. “I don’t even know the questions to ask. I guess first I want to know if you like it? If you’re good at it? If you wish you’d never accepted the job? That sort of thing.”

Kristine laughed. “First”—she used her fingers to count off her answers to Misty’s questions—“I like it very much. Second, I think I’m pretty good at it. And third, I’d do it again.”

“That’s encouraging,” Misty responded. “How long did it take you to learn what to do?”

Kristine tipped her head in thought. “I’m not sure. My training was only about a week or so. But I still have questions—or just need encouragement, and I can talk to my trainer whenever something comes up.”

“Who’s your trainer?”

Kristine chuckled. “I have one of the original muses—Melpomene. The muse of tragedy. Not the most cheery individual, not that it matters much. All she taught me was how to use my powers. The rest is up to me.”

“And you’re the muse of wireless communication?” Gabe asked.

“Pretty much. Mother Nature noticed I was pretty comfortable using my own cell phone and the fire departments’ radios. But sometimes I get a distress call involving a device I’m not familiar with, like a ham radio or satellite.”

“What do you do then?” Misty asked.

Kristine shrugged. “I do my best. It’s not up to me to fix devices that don’t work, but sometimes I have to tell the more clueless individuals how to use them.”

“But how do you tell a ham radio operator how to use his radio if you don’t know yourself?”

“That’s when I produce a manual and whisper into the person’s ear something like ‘RTFM.’”

Gabe laughed. Misty looked confused, so he translated. “RTFM means ‘read the fucking manual.’”

She giggled. “Oh. So, it sounds like you can have a bit of fun, as long as there’s no life-and-death stuff involved, right?”

Kristine’s expression saddened, and she placed a hand on Misty’s shoulder. “I don’t envy you the job you’re being offered. Forgive me for saying it this way, but you’re young. You may not realize that you can’t always save people—especially from themselves. But by being there, you might be able to make a difference. In other words, you won’t win them all. That’s my only concern about you taking this job.”

Gabe hadn’t even thought of that. He was used to life-and-death situations. Misty wasn’t.

“But Mother Nature thought I could do the job. She must be right, right?”

“I don’t doubt you can do the job,” Kristine said. “In fact, I think you’d be really good at it. I just wanted to be honest and let you know you might not always succeed.”

Gabe’s concern grew as he took in Misty’s face. “If seeing children abused is going to make you too depressed, I want you to say so.” She gazed at him with her bright blue eyes. She looked so innocent, and he would hate to see that wide-eyed innocence die.

“Of course that would make me sad, but if I could make a difference with just one child… Well, I can’t imagine anything more fulfilling. I mean, I’m sure raising our own children will be fulfilling enough, but to know my influence is helping others, perhaps hundreds or thousands of others…it seems worth a little sadness.” She glanced between Gabe and Kristine a couple of times. “How do you do it? You’re both firefighters. You both see terrible things. How do you cope?”

“There’s really no one answer to that.”

“I guess it’s an individual thing.” Gabe put his arm around her shoulder. “For me, it’s knowing I’m doing something worthwhile that not everyone can do. Now that I have you and little whosie-whatsit here,” he said, tapping her on the stomach, “I have even more reason for doing what I do and not letting it get to me.”

“But that’s just it. How do you not let it get to you?”

Kristine stepped in, thank goodness. “Some of the guys blow off steam in different ways. On the job, they have each other for support. Off the job, they have hobbies or sports or any number of distractions. Vacations are important too.”

Gabe realized Misty’s support system might need some beefing up. She couldn’t just come home from a job taking care of the world’s children and return to taking care of her own children without having someone to talk to about it.

“How long does Misty have to decide? Did Mother Nature give you a deadline?” Kristine asked.

“Not that we know of. Does she usually do that?” Gabe asked.

Kristine smirked. “She’s not the most patient person, by her own admission, but she’s pretty understanding. I imagine she knows it’s important to think long and hard about this.”

“Yes,” Misty said. “It’s a good thing she gave us time to reflect on it. I would have jumped at the chance to be cured. I think she even knew that, so she told me to think it over and talk to you or Chloe. Do you think Chloe would have any other advice I should listen to?”

Suddenly, Chloe appeared. “I think Kristine covered it fairly well. So, do you have any questions for me in particular?”

“Ah, Sister.” Kristine hugged Chloe. “I’m glad you’re here. I need to get home before my lasagna burns. Maybe you can take over for me?”

“Only if you’re talkin’ about takin’ over the advisin’ and not the cookin’. It’s always a pleasure to see you, but I understand if you’ve got to leave.”

Chloe whispered something in Kristine’s ear. Misty probably didn’t hear it, but Gabe did. Chloe reminded Kristine that she could fiddle with time a bit and pop back home before the lasagna burned even if she stayed long enough for that to happen. Wow, that must be a cool power to have.

Misty rose. “Thank you for coming, Kristine. And thanks for answering all my questions. I might have more in the future. I hope that’s all right.”

Kristine laughed. “I don’t doubt it. You can talk to me anytime.”

“Or me,” Chloe said.

Gabe rose and hugged one sister-in-law goodbye and the other hello. Then he stood next to Misty with an arm around what was once her waist.

Chloe sighed as she surveyed Misty’s expanding middle. “Ah, children. It’s not meant to be for Ryan and I. Although at one time I wished it.”

Gabe gave her the hairy eyeball. “Ah. So you’re the one.”

She reared back. “I’m the one what?”

How could he tell her that Mother Nature turned him into a dragnix because of a conversation with one of his brother’s wives? He waved away the question. “Never mind. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it at the next family gathering.”

“Hmmm… I don’t know what you’re referrin’ to, but if you don’t care to talk about it—”

“I don’t. Believe me, I don’t.”

Chloe shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”

He eyed her curiously. It happened on a boat. Was her expression a coincidence, or was she there watching and now playing dumb?

Learning about the ether, he realized a muse could be anywhere and he’d never know it. That was sort of their job. Chloe was the muse of fire safety. His family was pulling a risky move with fire when they had Kristine bathe him in dragon fire, intending to reduce him to ashes.

“You really don’t know?”

Chloe shook her head.

Gabe inhaled deeply. “Fine. I’ll tell you. But don’t laugh. Apparently, one of my older brothers and his wife wanted Gaia to make it possible for a dragon and phoenix to reproduce.”

“That would have been us, yes.”

“Well, let me just assure you, it was a terrible idea. I came back as one during my reincarnation. For a few minutes, only the top half of me was visible on the little boat, because that half of me was fireproof—like a dragon. When I looked down, I had scales and an enormous wingspan. My bottom half was indeed a pile of ashes.”

“Like a phoenix in fire,” she supplied. “Oh no. What happened? How did you rise from the ashes?”

“It wasn’t graceful.”

“Oh dear.” Her hand covered her mouth, like she was trying to hide a smile. When she got herself under control, she said, “I never meant for it to happen like that. I just hoped she could make it possible for a dragon and phoenix to have offspring—not with any powers or anythin’. Just a normal child.” Then her smile threatened to return. “No wonder she got so angry and refused.”

“Yeah, well. I doubt it will ever happen again.”

“Good thing. Ryan and I are actually quite happy without children. If we had little ones running around the edge of a cliff every time they went outside, I’d be beside meself with worry.”

“And that’s where I’d come in,” Misty said.

“What would ye do in that case?” Chloe asked.

“I’d yell, ‘Hey, parents! Build a fucking fence!’”

Chloe laughed. “See? You’re a natural!”

Gabe enveloped Misty in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Not that it hasn’t been nice seeing you, Chloe, but we are on our honeymoon.”

“Sure’n I’ll be off, then. Have a grand time!” And with that, Chloe disappeared.

Gabe placed his finger under Misty’s chin and tipped up her face. “I love you, no matter what. You know that, right?”

She smiled. “Yes. I know.”

“Then let’s get this honeymoon off the ground.” He swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed.

* * *

He threw back the covers and laid her in the middle of the queen size bed. Standing next to it, he studied her curiously for a moment, then crawled in beside her.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, no. You don’t get to do that with me. You can be the strong, silent type with the rest of the world, but not with me.”

He smirked. “Okay. I just wondered how making love at this stage of your pregnancy might affect the baby.”

She laughed. “Everything I’ve read says it doesn’t matter. At my last checkup, I asked the doctor how long we’d be able to have sex, and she said that if no problems present themselves during the pregnancy, there’s no reason not to enjoy sexual intercourse throughout the entire nine months. That’s almost a direct quote.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Some people who have no reason to limit themselves but do anyway are missing out. After all, how great it is to not worry about pregnancy and stopping to put on a condom. And the vaginal hormonal lubrication of pregnancy makes for a nice, slick ride.”

He laughed.

“What?”

“You have a way with words.”

“Oh. Well, she also said it’s good for couples to have intercourse during pregnancy because it prepares the pelvic floor muscles for delivery, it can help with any body image issues by making me feel sexy, which you do, and it’s nice to have this closeness now, since once the baby arrives, it’s a lot more difficult to find the time and energy to devote to each other.”

“She’s not wrong about that.” He eyed her hungrily.

As if reading his mind, she added, “I feel great. In other words, go for it.”

He did. He practically pounced on her. While devouring her mouth, his hands caressed her everywhere. They kneaded and squeezed her breasts, creating incredible sensations. Then he moved down to suck them, and his fingers played with the curls at the apex of her thighs.

Sliding a finger over and through her folds, he sank one digit into her opening and finger-fucked her. Wow. That got her even hotter.

By the time he stroked her clit, she was ready to explode. Arching almost off the bed, she came apart, screaming in ecstasy. He didn’t stop when she thought he might but kept up his sweet assault on her senses.

After her third climax, she grabbed his hand and yanked it away. “Stop…I can’t…no more…”

He chuckled and leaned back with the most self-satisfied look on his face.

“Oh, you think you’re done? Not yet, hot shot.” Misty winked. “But I need your help.”

“What can I do for you, m’lady?”

“Well, since I’m boneless and can’t move, why don’t you straddle my face and let me suck you while you watch.”

“Jesus.”

She didn’t have to ask twice. He levered himself up and straddled her instantly. His engorged shaft waited impatiently for her mouth.

She took him in as far as she could without gagging and applied suction as he withdrew. He tossed back his head and moaned. They repeated the move over and over until he withdrew sharply and hissed, “No more. I’ll come.”

“You can if you want to.”

He let out a deep breath in a whoosh. “I want to come with you. How do you want me?”

“Every which way.”

He chuckled. “How about if you lie on your side?”

Surprised, she faced away from him. They’d never done it that way, but why not? When she got bigger, it might be a handy position to know.

He entered her from behind, and wow. It felt incredible. He began his rhythm as he played with her breasts.

“Oh, that feels nice.”

“Yeah. You know what’s even nicer?”

“What?” she asked breathlessly.

He slid his hand over her hip and reached her sweet spot. Still sensitized, she jumped the moment he touched it. “Oh God.”

“Oh yeah.” He curled tightly around her and sped up his thrusts. When he was furiously pounding into her, he came with a thunderous roar.

Her orgasm hit hard, transporting her out of her body. She lost awareness of her surroundings. It seemed as if Gabe was the only anchor she had to the earth, and she wasn’t sure he wasn’t floating in space too.

Several minutes later, they lay limp and exhausted. Gabe nuzzled her neck and whispered words of love in her ear.

She knew why people tried to describe certain things they felt passionate about as “better than sex.” There was nothing like this feeling. And there was nothing better than sex with the man you loved most in the universe.