Page 51 of Her Reborn Mate
“You tell me!” Will continued howling with laughter, now holding his stomach. In all the time I had spent with him, I had never seen him laugh so fully. This must indeed be the working of the potion. It didn’t just feel like he was a changed man. It exhibited itself in so many tiny mannerisms and behaviors, all of which were a testament to the fact that the poisons and chemicals had left his body, and he was completely healed.
“I don’t understand. You bought this?” I asked, scratching my head. “Are we going somewhere? Is this one of your surprises?”
“I found the car parked in front of the house early in the morning with a note saying that it was from Vincent. He wrote in the note that he hadn’t ditched Lawrence’s car as I had asked him to. Instead, he had fenced it somewhere in Ohio. He bought a Jeep registered in my name with that money. How thoughtful of him, isn’t it?” Will explained.
Now that I was in on the joke, I found laughter coming much easier. What a stroke of genius on Vincent’s part. If we’d kept Lawrence’s car, that would have aroused suspicion, and soon the police would have meddled. But he fenced it and used it to buy Will a truck that he could actually ride in.
“We had Jeeps back in Germany, if you believe it. The Americans brought them along during the war. I fell in love with the Jeeps back then. That love still holds in my heart after all this time,” he said.
“I was under the assumption that you just loved me,” I said, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows.
“Of course, my love, you are the only living breathing human being I’m in love with,” Will said, coming to me, holding my hand, and puckering it with playful kisses.
“I hope you’re taking me somewhere. ItisValentine’s Day, you know. People the world over are doing romantic things with their partners. What are we doing?” There was a bit of nagging and complaint in my voice, but it was benign at best. I didn’t mean to pester him. Not after what he’d been through. But it was necessary for the health of the relationship that I voiced my wants.
“Ah. I have the perfect day planned out. You know, back in the day, there wasn’t so much hoopla around Valentine’s Day. It just seems like a modern creation of American capitalism. Who here truly gives a damn about what Saint Valentine actually did? I don’t think there are many people who even know the real story. The day’s been reduced to chocolates, roses, and teddy bears. What a shame,” Will said.
“Will! Come on! I don’t want a history lesson right now. I’m your mate. You have to do these things with me,” I said. This time there was legitimate nagging in my tone. Nagging that Will noticed immediately.
“Well, my dear mate, as it happens, I do have something planned for you. For us, actually. To commemorate and celebrate our rekindled relationship, I’m going to take you to this secret bed and breakfast north of here. It’s just past Lonely Mountain, right on the border of Vermont. There’s actually a bit of a story tied to the place, but I’ll save it for later. Right now, we’re going to take a nice long drive through the woods and head over to the Last Inn,” he said.
“Is that the name of the bed and breakfast?” I asked.
“Yes, the Last Inn. It was built by the Spanish in the late 17thcentury. Once, it used to be a sprawling mansion, but after the rest of the country came to know about the Spanish tucked away in North East America, they tore down the mansion and drove the Spanish back to Spain. Now, however, there are some kindred spirits who’ve taken it upon themselves to rebuild old heritage sites across America. And the Last Inn is one of their endeavors. If you’ve ever wanted to live in a Spanish mansion, you’re going to have an excellent time,” Will said.
“You promised you wouldn’t get into the story right now,” I said, getting in the Jeep.
“I believe I did something that your friend Maliha would call ‘nerding out.’” Will sat beside me and turned the engine on. The Jeep roared to life, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the street.
“You’ve gotten quite the grip on your slang,” I said.
“I had some excellent teachers,” Will said, looking at me.
“I missed you; you know that?” I finally confessed. It was hard not to become vulnerable when looking into his eyes. They drew out sincerity from deep within me. The way he looked at me made me feel like I was his entire world.
“I missed you so much, too,” Will said. “And I am feeling great right now. I just want to go on a long drive and not stop till we reach Vermont.”
“Well then, what are we waiting for?” I said, putting my hand on his hand and pushing the Jeep into first gear.
***
The mansion was indeed, as resplendent as Will had described. A red banner hung from the front, serving both as a tapestry and an awning for the entrance. There were great terraces on all four sides of the mansion. At the center, there was a massive fountain with bubbling blue water. The entire place was covered in ivy, vines, and flowers. Treetops served as a canopy for the mansion, creating a green mirage everywhere I looked.
I hadn’t even noticed that my mouth hung open in the face of this spectacle. It was truly mesmerizing. What was more mesmerizing was how Will had managed to find such a place in such a short time.
While we were not alone—as there were almost half a dozen cars parked in the driveway—the aura and the atmosphere complemented the natural beauty of the place in such a way that I did not mind the couples walking around the gardens hand in hand. For the first time in my life, I was not envious of seeing other couples celebrate their relationship publicly. There was no bitterness this time around now that I had Will by my side.
We walked arm in arm through the main entrance and checked ourselves in at the reception. A bellboy helped with our luggage and took us to our suite.
“Sweet lord!” I exclaimed as I saw the balcony outside our bedroom. It was entirely made of marble and overlooked a lake. Lonely Mountain loomed mysteriously in the back. “Look at this view, Will. It’s like…”
“Maddeningly beautiful, isn’t it?” Will asked, coming behind me, holding me from the back.
“Not more beautiful than you,” I said, turning around and looking at my mate. The potion had done something to his physique and appearance. Before, Will had a permanently strained look on his face, as if he was subconsciously battling all the dangers within him. Now, his face was brighter, his expressions were much more relaxed, and he looked altogether a much more handsome man than before, not that I didn’t like how he looked prior to this. “You actually look like a twenty-something.”
“All thanks to you,” Will said, then leaned in and kissed me on my lips. Even his kiss had more joy to it. I could feel the carefreeness on his lips as he puckered and sucked my lips. I could taste the sweetness on his tongue as he lolled it around in my mouth. He was more virile too. It hadn’t been more than a few seconds since we’d started kissing, and he was already hard and throbbing against my thigh.
I moaned as he began kissing and sucking my neck and let myself go in his arms. He held me softly, kissing me on my breasts, licking the nipples, and kneading them gently.