Dawn's Never Ending Glow

Chris smiled and eased the dress onto the hanger. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." Anna was the kind of woman who claimed she didn't want a fuss made over her. She might not necessarily like the attention. But, she would love the surprise.

"Humph," Anna mumbled. She didn't know if she'd make it through till the wedding without a little hint or two to keep her occupied and guessing. The suspense was killing her. With her hairstyle and the dress decided on, there wasn't much else to do but twiddle her thumbs and wait for the big day to arrive. That, and survive whatever Janine had planned for her bachelorette party.

********

Sam leaned against the base of a tree. Its top towered above her head. The leaves gently tousled by the warm spring breeze. She couldn't believe she was being forced into this. Sneaking around like she was a rebellious teenager. She waited impatiently for Marcus to finish his rounds. Seeing him against Dane's wishes was killing her. It wasn't that her brother thought Marcus was a bad guy. He actually liked the man. It was just that he genuinely thought Marcus was not the right one for her. Sam respected his opinion. But, she didn't care what her adoptive brother had to say about it. Marcus and she were in love and they'd find a way to see each other. Dane really couldn't do anything about it.

Marcus smiled when he saw Sam leaning casually against the base of a tree waiting for him. She was the embodiment of contradictions, tough yet beautiful, street smart but an innocent. Her small body appeared weak and helpless, utterly feminine. But, she was strong and a powerful warrior. She loved and respected her brother. Yet, she defied his wishes to see him. She loved her brother. But, she was in love with him.

For the first time in the whole of Marcus's life the scales were balanced. At one time, he thought he was in love with Candace. He would have done anything for her and still would. And in a way, Candace would always have a special place in his heart. He had to chalk the whole experience up to the fact that things worked the way they did for a reason. Candace opened his heart to possibilities he had dismissed long ago. She forced him to see the man hidden beneath his rough exterior. And for that, he was grateful.

Without Candace, he never would have found Sam. He wouldn't have been ready for her. He would have totally blown her off and gone out of his way to avoid her. He would have never believed a woman like her could have seen anything in a man like him. Yes, he owed Candace a great deal. She made him realize in a word that he was lovable. He was in love with Sam. He didn't think it. He knew it. Marcus smiled, opening his arms for Sam to leap into them. "I missed you," he said. Wrapping his arms around her to keep her pinned against him, he covered her cheeks with kisses and buried his face in the curve of her neck.

Sam kissed a wet trail along Marcus's chin. "I missed you too." She squeezed him tightly with her arms curled around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. "I'm tired of having to sneak around. I'm a grown woman for god's sake. This is stupid." She loosened her grip and slid down his body till her feet touched the ground. Still holding him with her arms cinched around her waist, she sighed contentedly for the first time in a week.

"Give him time to cool off." Marcus kissed the top of Sam's head smoothing her black curls with his cheek. "Once we're on his good side, then we'll approach him." Dane was still furious at him for being the mastermind behind their plan. He put Sam in danger and Marcus supposed that alone had Dane doing his damnedest to keep Sam and he apart. In so many ways, Dane still saw Sam as a little girl in need of his protection. Marcus believed Dane thought he was doing what was best for Sam. He didn't realize he was stifling her. And the tighter the rein on her the more she'd fight him.

Sam shrugged, knowing Marcus was right. Dane could be a stubborn asshole when things didn't go exactly his way. And he had the power to take out his frustration on Marcus. She didn't want that, so she played along with her brother. To his face, she was the obedient little sister she'd always been. Only in Marcus's arms was she able to be the woman she'd grown up to be. "I just hate it. I hate all this sneaking around."

"I do too. I promise, we'll go to him, soon." He couldn't keep their relationship hidden forever. And he didn't want to. But, he needed for the timing to be right before he approached Dane. Chris was in his corner, trying to help. Unfortunately, there was only so much she could do to sway her husband. Sam was going to have to be patient and wait a while longer.

Odds were, Dane already knew about the depth of their relationship. There were so few secrets amongst the brothers. The man was just being stubborn. There was only one thing Dane hated more than his orders being disobeyed and that was being wrong. And he could hope all he wanted that in time their forbidden relationship would fizzle out. And in that, he was wrong. Marcus wasn't going anywhere and he wasn't giving her up.

"Soon." Sam grabbed Marcus's hand and dragged him into the shady, cool shelter of the trees. Her brother could forbid anything he wanted and at the end of the day, it didn't change a thing. Marcus was the only man she'd ever want. He was everything she ever needed. She wasted no time pulling him down to the soft loam and ridding herself of her clothes and gear. Wearing nothing but a smile and the spring breeze on her skin, she made quick work of getting him naked. Marcus was all too eager to comply with her demands.

Marcus stretched out on the forest floor unabashedly naked and let the woman perched above him do with him what she would. "Sam," he moaned as she slid her sheath down his length, joining them as one.

Nature formed a perfect cocoon around them, sheltering them from the rest of the world. Pale pink petals from the tulip trees shaken loose by a gentle gust of wind showered down on them, catching in her hair. She belonged in this wild place adorned by the silken buds. Her breathing quickened and her pace sped as she rode him to that place where there was only the two of them existing as one. And he was right there with her, panting beneath her, loving her with all that he was and ever would be.

Sam didn't tease Marcus. She possessed him and gave herself in turn. They shared so much more than the joining of their flesh. He was in her so much deeper than what their bodies would allow. Tiny, purple dogwood flowers sprinkled the ground beneath Marcus. The woods around them were vibrant and overflowing with life. He was a part of her. Integral and necessary as air. And not even her brother could change that.

Completely sated, she stretched out beside him and placed her palm over his beating heart. They didn't need a ceremony to prove their love to anybody. They didn't need anyone's approval to validate their place in one another's hearts. Here with nature as their cathedral and the robins chirping in the trees over their heads as their only guests. They gave themselves to each other and loved in every possible way a man and woman could love.

******

Janine forced Patrick out of her mind and pasted a smile on her face. She would not let their run in spoil her day. She would not. "Hi Robbie. Sorry I'm a few minutes late," she said, pulling on her apron and grabbing the cash drawer out of Robbie's hands.

"Hi, you're sure cheerful." Robbie scrunched her nose and gave Janine a wary look. Janine was not a morning person. The fact that she was trying so hard clued Robbie in quickly. She began to wonder if Janine was going to break out in a song and dance routine to prove how chipper she was this morning. The whole act was so overdone and forced. Janine was hiding something. And Robbie had a pretty good idea what it was. "Overly so. Is anything wrong?"

"No, just a little flustered. I hate running late." Janine set the drawer in its place in the cash register and busied herself cleaning the counters.

"I'm going to have to buy new countertops after this season," Robbie said, stilling Janine's hand with her fingers. "You're going to rub the finish off of them. They're clean enough." Ok, so something was up. Janine didn't function well this early in the morning. And hidden beneath that watery smile the woman wore pasted to her face to prove how right everything was in her world, was the slight quiver of her bottom lip.

"Sorry," Janine said with an overdone smile. She needed to change the subject quickly. Now that her initial burst of anger had faded, she was on the verge of tears. She so did not want to get into a lengthy discussion with Robbie or anybody for that matter, about her woes with Patrick. He was just a bump in her emotional highway. Ok, so he was more like a bottomless pit. But, she was not going there today. "Guess where we're going for Anna's bachelorette party."

Robbie suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at Janine's abrupt change in subject. Ok, so she didn't want to talk. No problem. As soon as the woman was sufficiently occupied with customers, Robbie was going to call Alex. "Where?" she asked, playing along.

Janine exhaled an excited gasp that she wished she genuinely felt. "Wrestle Mania. They're going to be up in Little Creek, Friday. It's only twenty minutes away, almost naked men, hot, hard bodied men and violence. What could be more perfect?"

"Wrestle Mania." Well, that was unexpected. Chippendale dancers, Robbie would have anticipated. But, Wrestle Mania, boy was she out of the ballpark with that one. There was no limit to what the woman could come up with. "Anna will love it," Robbie said, shaking her head. "John Mark will have to go. Just in case Anna gets out of line. She's so new and I can't handle her and guard us too."

Janine smiled wildly, beaming at Robbie's approval of the plan. "No problem." She peeled a banana and smeared the end with peanut butter for a quick makeshift breakfast. For an ice cream stand, the place actually had a few healthier options. In her spare time in between customers, she was working on adding some lower calorie items to the menu.

With all this sugar and chocolate just begging to be eaten, she really had to watch every bite she put in her mouth. She might be single soon, really single. And she couldn't afford to gain one pound. Not if she was going to have to dive head first into the dating pool again. And on that depressing thought, she flipped the lock on the door and waited for her first customer of the day.

Chapter 45

The next four days dragged by at a snail's pace. Janine kept waiting for Patrick to pop up out of nowhere and make an appearance. If for no other reason than he wanted to snack on her. She assumed, even though they might not necessarily be an item, she was still his donor. The thought of being erased by him in all things, even in that, rankled her for some reason. It would probably be best if he did find someone else and let the link between the two of them fade to nothing. Apparently, just like their relationship had.

Maybe, Patrick was just being stubborn. No, she knew for a fact he was being stubborn. He could get by a good long time on animal blood. But, it was just the fact that providing him with vital sustenance was the only thing she had that was one hundred percent hers. In that and nothing else he was totally dependent on her.

There were other donors available and right now he could be putting the bite on one of them. Lori. Cindy, who worked at the bar, but she rarely gave unless she was really needed. Anemia. Ginger, the vivacious redhead that always patched her up every time she wound up in the ER. For security's sake, not everyone knew everyone else. And definitely no one ever ate and told. Hell, he could be munching on some leggy blonde with big boobs and she'd never know about it.

Janine ran her fingers over the quarter sized tattoo on the right side of her neck and scowled at her reflection in the mirror. She'd bled to receive that mark and secure her place. And now, she felt her place was being threatened. Not her place with the Sons. No, the brothers would never turn their backs on her. But, with Patrick she skidded on tremulous ground. Jealousy boiled in her gut at the thought that he could replace her so easily. She thought at least in that part of his life, she was special.

She squinched up her face in an accusatory expression. Jealousy gave you wrinkles and had no place in her head or her heart. Not tonight. Tonight was about Anna and hanging out with the girls to forget her man troubles for a while. And she was going to have fun, fun, fun. Janine riffled through her closet. She still didn't have all her stuff out of the compound yet. She really hadn't planned her next move beyond one day at a time. But, maybe it was time to start thinking beyond that and come up with a solid plan. She was here by her own choice. Patrick hadn't made her move out. She chose it. She was the one who told him to get lost. And he was simply, in that way that jilted guys did, giving her what she wanted.

*******

Anna put the finishing touches on her hair and grumbled at Toby, "I can't believe you're making me do this." He had the easy part. The guys were staying close to home, out at the cabin, for his bachelor party. While she was being dragged off to some hick town called Little Creek to watch Wrestle Mania. It wasn't fair.

"You look good," Toby replied. Running his eyes over her tight, hip hugging, denim jeans and powder blue cotton tank, she looked very good. It was a shame that Janine insisted on the bachelorette party and the whole lot of the brotherhood was so superstitious about the seeing the bride before the wedding thing. He'd rather stay home with her holed up in their room making love than schlep through the woods with his brothers. Careful not to muss her hair, he drew her close and kissed the top of her head. "Have fun tonight."

The bachelorette party was a celebration of her last night of freedom as a single woman. Toby had to admit; he wasn't disappointed that Janine hadn't booked any strippers for the evening. Not that he was worried Anna would change her mind and run off with a dancer. But, he didn't do well with jealousy. And the thought of some man bumping and grinding against his woman grated him. "I'll see you tomorrow evening."

Anna swatted Toby's butt as he turned to leave. She couldn't believe she wouldn't see him for the better part of a whole day. Already, she missed him something terrible. She could go without him for a day. After all, they'd have the rest of their lives together. "You'd better be there."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

******

Bryce slowed the SUV to a stop at the curb to pick up Janine. She hopped into the SUV, sliding in next to him. He was unwillingly drafted into accompanying the women on their excursion. The backseat was filled to capacity with giggling and babbling women and a reluctant, John Mark. Leaving the only open seat, the passenger side, beside him. He volunteered to drive tonight, just to keep from unwittingly being dragged into a conversation about bras, underwear, PMS, or whatever it was women talked about when left to their own devices.

He would be standing guard with Robbie while John Mark kept an eye on Anna. Janine was down right bubbly, jittery with excitement. Laughing gleefully at something Alex said from the backseat. He forced his eyes away from Janine's tanned, slender thighs. She swiveled in her seat as far as the seatbelt would allow, joining in the conversation. Completely oblivious to the show she gave him. Her skirt was short, revealing a good length of her golden skin.

Good lord, was that skirt short. And he could see...well, never mind what he could see. Bryce raised a brow and forced his eyes back to the road. Perhaps, the outing wouldn't be so bad after all. He smiled as her attention was drawn to him. Tonight, he drove the SUV without a console in between the passenger and driver seat. She could slide right on over and ...oh, geez were his thoughts ever going in the wrong direction. His gaze turned from the road, momentarily landing on the cleavage bursting forth from the top of her tight, lace camisole top. Bryce shifted in his seat to hide his erection, pretending to press on the gas as he adjusted the painful bulge. "Hi, Janine."

"Hi," Janine shot back in an overly friendly tone. Feeling his gaze on her chest, she shifted to block his view of her chest. It was a little unnerving to be ogled by any other guy but Patrick. And ok, so she had to admit, a little flattering too. She was on her fourth day, sans Patrick. He'd kept his word and left her alone. Unfortunately, that meant she'd gone three awful nights without sleep and she felt positively wretched. The pot of coffee she'd downed after work was helping to keep her feet. Tonight was Anna's big night and she was not going to ruin it for her friend by being a Sammy Sad Sack. "We've gotta pick up Lori."

Bryce frowned. He didn't know everyone in the brotherhood and he'd never met anyone named Lori. He hoped Janine hadn't actually invited someone to accompany them who didn't know about their secret. Anna was going to have a difficult enough time keeping it together as it was. "Who's Lori?"

Janine smiled and dropped her purse on the floorboard between her feet. "Don't worry, she knows about us." Leigh had decided not to go tonight. Alexander had a nasty cold and she insisted on staying home to nurse him back to health. Lori was the perfect companion to accompany Janine on this excursion. She was young, too young to drink. But, not so young that she couldn't appreciate a well built, sweaty, man.

"Ok." Bryce followed Janine's directions and pulled up to the curb of a two- story white sided house with a neat row of shrubs lining the sidewalk. The girl, although way too young to be considered potential dating material, was pretty by his standards. Her blonde hair was pinned up away from her face and showered down her shoulders in a spill of curls. Her cheeks were dusted with a layer of brown freckles and her eyes glimmered brilliant green. She wore a pair of denim shorts that showed off her shapely legs and a low cut t-shirt that made Janine seem over dressed by comparison.

Bryce bit his lip as Lori hopped into the front seat of the SUV. Which forced Janine to scoot closer to him to give her enough room to buckle in and close the door. Her bare leg pressed against his thigh and her hip brushed against his as she shifted in her seat, jockeying for a better angle to see her friend.

"Hey girl!" Lori said, giving Janine a tight, awkward hug in the tight confines of the front seat. "You look great!" Lori didn't believe in lies. Janine looked fantastic. She doubted the reasons behind Janine's wardrobe choice though. Janine dressed to kill. Only Lori didn't know whom it was that Janine put forth all that effort into looking so good to impress. According to the bits and pieces she'd overheard at the shop. Janine was on the outs with Patrick. And Patrick was noticeably absent tonight. Janine didn't seem the type to go prowling for a new man so soon after a breakup. But, sometimes, and Lori got this. After all, she'd had her share of heartbreaks. Sometimes a woman dressed up for no other reason than to build her confidence and to impress nobody but herself.

"So do you!" Janine said, returning the hug as best she could without landing in Bryce's lap and causing a major traffic accident. Mack would not be happy about that and she did not want to spend Anna's bachelorette party on the side of the road trying to talk Bryce out of a ticket. She turned to Lori and grinned, for the first time in four days, actually feeling the smile reach her eyes. "Ready to see some hot, man flesh?"