Music In My Heart Read online

  music in my heart

  By

  KiT TUNSTALL

  Prologue

  Mama Claus caressed the B.H.A. St. Croix music box Santa had brought back for her many years ago, after a stop in Switzerland. In the late 1880s, the box had been new, when it caught his eye. Thanks to her care of the polished mahogany, it still gleamed with the same sheen it had when he gave it to her all those years ago.

  She opened the lid, gazing with misty eyes at the picture inside of the two of them, when they were still young. A yellowed piece of paper rested in the edge of the picture frame on the inside of the lid. Carefully, she removed it and opened the note. She had long ago memorized the words, but she still liked to see them written in her husband’s bold script.

  Dearest Merry,

  You inspire the music in my heart.

  With All My Love,

  Nicholas

  As gently as she had removed the note, Mama opened the frame and took out the picture of them on a Christmas long ago. The recipients of the music box would surely have their own picture to add soon.

  With a soft sigh, she closed the box and prepared to send it to Baltimore. As much as she hated to part with the lovely box, she would. After all, it was the catalyst needed to bring together a couple meant for each other.

  Chapter One

  Cora huddled deeper into her wool overcoat, shivering in the chill of the evening. Twilight was upon Baltimore, and snow fell from the sky in a light mist. The moisture must have affected her curly blond hair by now. No doubt, it was frizzy under her wool hat. She was too tired to care, having spent the last two hours in Harborplace, trying to find the perfect gift for her grandmother. She was about to give up on finding the ideal item and settle for an impersonal gift certificate.

  A sign caught her eye, and she admired the old-fashioned font burned into the wooden sign, announcing Ross Antiques. She murmured, “Excuse me,” to the woman walking behind her, cut across the sidewalk, and pushed open the door. She vowed this would be her last stop.

  She glanced at the counter, but no one was visible behind it. She heard voices the next aisle over and decided the clerk must be helping a customer.

  With no clear idea of what to get Grandmother, Cora decided to wander down the aisles and hope something leapt out at her. The first row contained sconces, candelabras, antique lamps, vases, and other household goods. Nothing seemed right for the utilitarian décor of Grandmother’s apartment at the retirement center, so she moved on.

  The other aisles proved equally fruitless, and Cora was about to give up hope when she reached the last shelf on the last row. A cluttered assortment of goblets and cutlery almost hid the treasure her eyes fell on. She knelt down and reached for the wooden box. It felt warm to the touch, and a sense of calm filled her. She traced the intricate carvings along the bottom, and then slid her hand up to the lid. Three jade butterflies cavorted on a single rose, painted with exacting detail.

  The box seemed to sing to her, and Cora knew she had to buy it, regardless of the cost. She couldn’t explain the compulsion, especially since she didn’t even know the box’s purpose, but she had to have it. She tried the latch, but it refused to budge. The clerk should be able to tell her what the box was for.

  The store appeared deserted, save for the man behind the counter. Cora caught her breath when he looked up at her with a half-smile curving his lips. For a moment, her heart raced, and it wasn’t from the excitement of discovering the box. His curly brown hair seemed tousled from a careless hand running through it one too many times. His hazel eyes glowed with warm appreciation as he watched her approach. His chiseled lips curved into a full smile when she stopped in front of him.

  “Good afternoon.” His voice was warm and smooth, with a hint of huskiness. “Welcome to Ross Antiques. I’m Lucian.”

  A flustered smile crossed her face. “Hi.” Her cheeks warmed when her eyes locked with his. “I’m Cora Brady.”

  “How may I help you, Ms. Brady?”

  She set the box on the counter. “I’m not sure what this is. I thought it might be a jewelry box….” She trailed off with a shrug.

  He frowned. “You found that here?”

  She lifted a brow. “Yes. Is there a problem?”

  Lucian reached for the box, examining it thoroughly. He seemed confused. “I’ve never seen this before.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He looked up. “I don’t either. I own this store, and I make all acquisitions, yet this is unfamiliar to me.”

  Her face fell. “Does that mean it’s not for sale?”

  He hesitated. “I don’t know where it came from. I’m not sure that I can sell it to you.”

  Cora’s hand trembled when she reached for the latch. “Would you mind opening it, Mr. Ross? I understand why you can’t sell it, but I really want to see what’s inside.” It was another compulsion she couldn’t explain, but she obeyed the instinct.

  His brow wrinkled at her request, but he reached for the latch. It seemed to resist his fingers for a moment before popping up. Cora held her breath as he lifted the lid, sensing something important was happening. The temperature in the room lowered a few degrees as the lid lifted. A veritable storm of snow blew from inside the box, as a light classical tune filled the store.

  At the last moment, Cora reached out to arrest his hand, suddenly afraid of what was happening. It was too late. The lid fell open completely, and blue light radiated from the box, mingling with the blowing snow.

  “What’s happening?” she asked in a strident tone, terrified.

  Lucian appeared equally alarmed. “I have no idea.” He tried to close the box, but it disappeared. Cora clung to his hand as they pitched forward. She expected to slam into the floor. Instead, a vortex sucked them in, spinning them around several times. She screamed, and her heart raced with fear.

  She had a difficult time catching her breath, and when the blue light faded away, causing darkness to cover them, she screamed again, louder still. Lucian’s hand squeezed hers, and his arm slipped around her waist, offering a moor in the storm surrounding them. To her surprise, his touch had an instant calming effect. He felt warm and familiar, as if he had touched her many times before.

  In seconds, they stopped whirling, and the darkness faded away. The same blue light glowed around them, but it had a warmer, softer quality than when it first appeared. It emanated from the very walls of…wherever they were. Cora gazed with mingled wonder and fear at the rough walls surrounding them. Where were they?

  “It’s an ice cave.” Lucian’s soft voice echoed through the confines of the cave, rebounding back to them.

  She shivered automatically when he said ice, but realized she wasn’t cold. She looked down to see if the floor was also icy, since her feet weren’t chilly. A choked breath escaped her. “What happened to my clothes?” She looked up at Lucian, hoping he would have an explanation, only to realize he was also nude. Her mouth went dry when she saw his bare form, revealed in all its glory.

  He stood about five-nine, just three inches taller than she, but he seemed imposing. His body was perfect, without an ounce of fat, but not bulging with so many muscles as to be ridiculous. His warm olive complexion glowed almost a honey shade in the strange blue light.

  She couldn’t resist letting her eyes wander to his flat stomach, then lower, below his waist. Her eyes widened when she took in his thick cock, nestled on a bed of springy black curls. Under her gaze, his cock swelled, announcing his arousal. Hastily, she tore her eyes from his cock and looked up. His eyes were examining her with equal intensity, and when he looked up to meet her eyes, his appreciation was clear.

  “You’re a beautiful woman, Cora.”

  It should have been odd, sta
nding nude in front of each other, but nothing could be as strange as the events that had unfolded during the last few minutes. She felt surprisingly comfortable—and turned on. She tried to distract herself from those thoughts by looking around the cave.

  Everything glowed with the ambient blue light. She blinked at the block in the center of the room. Judging from the pillows stacked on it, and the black fur quilt covering the slab, it must be a bed. She shivered, imagining resting on ice.

  But she reminded herself she wasn’t cold at all, despite their lack of clothes. The room temperature was probably around seventy degrees. Added to that, she was burning up inside, burning for Lucian. She turned back to him. “How is it not cold? How is that possible?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. How is any of this possible?”

  “Why are we here?”

  Again, Lucian shrugged. “I don’t know. I think…” He trailed off, gazing at her from the corner of his eye. “Never mind.”

  She frowned. “What?”

  He cleared his throat. “I think we’re here to make love. I feel drawn to you, even though I don’t know you.”

  He might have expected outrage, but Cora nodded slowly. “I feel it too. I’ve been drawn to you from the start, and something about this place—” She licked her lips, meeting his eyes. “Well, it makes me want you so much. I don’t understand how this can be.”

  He reached for her, drawing her against his chest. “Maybe it’s a dream.”

  She curled against him, pressing her lips against the dusting of hair on his chest. “Um, maybe.” I hope it never ends.

  His hands rested lightly against her back. Cora tipped her head backward, and Lucian’s lips settled on hers. His lips were feathery-soft, almost shy, as he explored the plump contours of hers. When his tongue slipped out to trace her lips, Cora opened her mouth and drew it between her teeth. She nibbled lightly, and Lucian’s cock stiffened further, pressing into her hip.

  Her hands seemed made to cup his waist, and she held on tight as Lucian’s tongue penetrated her mouth to taste her. She tangled hers with his, teasing and flirting, before withdrawing. His tongue followed, sweeping through her mouth with bold strokes, as his hips arched in mimicry of the movement.

  Cora’s hands drifted lower, to clench his buttocks. She squeezed, and he moaned. The pressure of his mouth on hers increased, and she parted her lips wider, to allow more access.

  A gasp escaped her when Lucian’s hands moved from her back to her thighs. He lifted her into his arms, and she locked her legs around him as he carried her to the slab of ice, while never breaking the kiss. She tensed when he lowered her, anticipating the frigid slab touching her heated skin, but the fur shielded her. It felt decadent, but not at all arctic.

  His mouth left hers to kiss her cheek. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he said, before trailing his tongue up the line of her cheekbone, to her brow. A warm breath fluttered across her eye, and she closed the lid. He pressed a gentle kiss to her eyelid.

  Her arms were around his neck, and she tried to draw his mouth back to hers, but Lucian resisted. Instead, he moved to her neck, where he nipped her gently. He sucked a tiny bit of flesh between his teeth, and then blew out a breath. Cora shuddered at the exquisite sensation, and a cry escaped her. It echoed through the cave, magnifying her sound of pleasure. “Lucian.” His name rebounded to them, sounding as though ten Coras had called out to him.

  While she was still caught up in the sensations coming from his mouth on her neck, his hand moved. His fingers suddenly plunged into her pussy, exploring gently. Cora moaned at the delicious intrusion, parting her thighs, and arching her hips upward. His finger slid around her clit, and she cried out. “Please, Lucian.” She gripped his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin without realizing it. His moan of mingled pain and pleasure caused her stomach to ripple.

  He released her neck, whispering against it. “You’re so tight.” Two of his fingers penetrated her opening. “You’re going to fit my cock like a glove.”

  “Yes, oh, yes.” Cora arched her hips again when his fingers pushed deeper into her. “I want you now.” Never had a man made her so wet so quickly. She loved foreplay, but right then, she wanted nothing more than to move as one with this man who was a stranger, although he felt like the missing piece of her soul.

  Lucian didn’t hesitate to fulfill her request. He aligned their pelvises, and his cock nudged at her opening. Cora dug her nails in deeper, and a harsh exhalation escaped him. His hand brushed against her clit as he guided his cock inside her pussy. He was big, and her body resisted for a second, before giving way to his passionate insistence. A sigh of contentment escaped her when he filled her pussy.

  Lucian’s thrusts started slow, and Cora met each one at the pace he set. She closed her eyes when he cupped her breasts in his hands and fondled the nipples, pushing lightly on them as he thrust in and out of her.

  She tightened her thighs around him, locking her legs around him, and increasing the pace. Lucian rotated his hips in small circles as he entered her, causing his cock to rub against her clit with each thrust inward. Cora knew she was saying his name over and over in a husky whisper, but couldn’t stop the litany.

  Small convulsions built from her womb, increasing in strength when Lucian’s cock throbbed. “So close,” she said, wondering if he heard the soft words she had said against his neck.

  He must have, because one hand abandoned her breasts to slip between their bodies. Lucian sought out her clit, circling it with his thumb and forefinger, as he surged inside her as deeply as he could go. “Come with me, Cora.”

  She surrendered to his expert touch, and her body exploded with release. Spasms swept through her pussy, draining Lucian’s satisfaction as it spilled from him. They cried out together, and their mingled voices echoed through the cave. As their climax faded, music spilled from the music box again, light engulfed them, and they were swept into the vortex.

  Cora stood frozen, staring at the closed music box on Lucian’s counter. She looked down, noting she wore the same slacks, sweater, and wool coat she’d had on when entering Ross Antiques. She raised her eyes, meeting his equally perplexed stare. Thinking it must have been a hallucination, she didn’t plan to mention what she thought had just happened. But to her surprise, she asked, “Was it real? Did it happen?”

  He frowned, apparently not confused about what she was asking. He had experienced it too. “I don’t know. Does it feel like it happened?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t have to think about that. Her pussy ached with completion, and she could still feel the evidence of him coming inside her. “I’m sure it did.”

  Lucian touched one of his shoulders. “So am I.” He unbuttoned his shirt, and the flesh was familiar to her. He turned around, lowering the shirt to his waist. “Are there marks on my back? It feels like there are.”

  Her eyes widened at the red marks she had left on his back. “Yes,” she said softly, shocked.

  With economical movements, Lucian put the button-down shirt on again and turned back to her. His gaze fell to the box. “I think we have to open it again.”

  She shook her head, panicked. “What if we’re sent back to that place?”

  He arched a brow. “Would that be so bad?” Lucian’s mouth curved in a sensual smile.

  She hesitated before shaking her head. She too felt the compulsion to open the box. Somehow, it held the answers.

  That didn’t mean she was brave enough to do it. She held her breath as Lucian reached for the latch. When it opened, she prepared herself for the blue light and whirlpool, but only a tinkling laugh emerged, along with a bit of silver snow.

  A kindly feminine voice followed the laugh. “My darlings, you have discovered the power of the music box. May it always inspire the music in your hearts that plays only for each other.”

  The voice faded away, as did the snow. The box was once again a perfectly normal music box, emitting a light classical piece.

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; They looked at each other in awe, wondering who was their mysterious benefactor, and how she had known the music box would bring them together. Looking into his eyes, Cora knew something beyond their control had united them tonight, in bonds more permanent than she could have imagined before stepping into the store. Could love happen in an instant, with the help of a magical music box? Yes. Maybe only at Christmas, but it was possible.

 

 

  Kit Tunstall, Music In My Heart

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