Monday, March 5, 2012

Birthright (A Nobleman Novel)


Mystery & Thrillers
Thursday February 23, 2012
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Birthright (A Nobleman Novel)
by Ronda L. Caudill, Ph.D.
 
Birthright
Chapter 1
Nila’s skin was moist with a glistening sweet mixture of dewdrops and sweat. Her body was hot and aching under the touch of his fingertips as they caressed her cheek and then lightly glided down the side of her neck and finally gently stroked her skin just atop her bodice. Nila loved how the early morning light caught the beautiful, blue hues in her nobleman’s eyes. His marvelous eyes were heavy with lust. The onyx waves of his hair tickled her cleavage as he leaned over her for another kiss—long and deep. Nila felt as though she could drink his essence into her and as if he could do the same at any moment. His hard lean body pressed against her fragile petite flesh. Just when Nila thought that she could no longer breathe, euphoric from the touch of her nobleman’s lips, he pulled back, leaving her longing for so much more.
In the distance through the forest they heard the familiar sounds of men, horses, and dogs. Aware that they were forbidden to be together, Nila would risk her life for just one touch of his gentle hands. Risk her life may just be what she was doing, she thought to herself as she heard the galloping horses and barking dogs drawing nearer. They grabbed the few clothes that they had shed. The dogs were closing in fast. There would be no time to escape. Nila was frantic with fear. What would become of them if they were found together? Out of the thicket a soldier lunged at her nobleman with sword drawn.
Then it happened again. She was being pulled away from him back to another reality. She desperately reached out to him but could not hold her ground. Nila cried out in despair as she helplessly watched her beautiful, nobleman battle for his life. Their eyes met and held one last gaze before Nila found herself back in her own bed lying in a pool of sweat and desire. She felt the longing for her nobleman tugging at her heart. But it was just another dream—another strange dream in a huge collection of strange dreams that she had been having since the night of her 17th birthday.
Nila had no idea who the beautiful nobleman was. All she knew about him was what he looked like—dressed like a nobleman from the 18th century, wearing clothing of red and purple—and that his touch was unreal. In her dreams, she desperately longed for and loved him. Nila lay there with the moonlight cascading through her open window casting ominous shadows about the room. The tendrils of those shadows reached out from the dark and tugged at her aching heart.
Nila knew that there would be no more sleep that night. She would lie there in an endless state of abyss and obsess over that dream as well as others about the nobleman, as she called him since she had no other name for him. Nila lay there for what seemed like an eternity pondering her dreams but she finally found sleep.
A car horn blasted. Oh, no! It’s Sherry. Damn, she’s early. Nila looked at her clock on the nightstand beside the bed. Eight o’clock! Crap, I overslept. Nila grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and texted, “OMG. Overslept. B down n a sec.” It’s the first day of my junior year, and I’m going to school looking like crap. Nila riffled through thrown clothes until she found a white, cotton, mini-skirt with eyelet lace around the hem and a thin, white, cotton, button-up blouse with pink trim. She topped her casual look off with a pair of tan sandals and a small, tan, hemp purse.
She half-assed brushed her teeth and thought to herself as she looked in the mirror. What the hell am I going to do with my hair and face? She brushed through her long, black waves and let them fall freely around her shoulders and down her back. It looked like a blue-black, flowing waterfall. She washed her face with clear water followed by a bit of cocoa butter lotion. She loved the way it smelled. She put on some deodorant and gave a small spray of honeysuckle to her neck and wrists. She grabbed her canvas purse and sketchpad. That’s all she needed for the day anyway. It was the first day, and they wouldn’t do anything.
Nila heard the car horn again as she stuffed her cell phone into her purse and headed down the stairs of her farmhouse. The old, wooden steps creaked all the way down. She passed the mirror of the downstairs bathroom and gave herself one quick glance. Well, that’s not so bad for a rush job. I don’t look the worst that I ever have. She flew out the front door not bothering to lock it. She lived in a small southeastern town called Legacy and everyone knew everyone else, so neither she nor her father or grandmother ever bothered locking the front door. She couldn’t remember if the door ever had a key—she had never seen one. For that matter, she really didn’t know if anyone in Legacy locked their doors.
“Damn, Nila. What the hell? Are you trying to make us late on our first day?”
“Language. And no, and I’m sorry. I was asleep when you blew the first time,” Nila replied in a low voice. She never spoke loudly. Her grandmother always spouted something about a brawling woman being denied entrance into heaven. It kind of stuck because Nila was as quiet as a church mouse most of the time.
“No way, you got to look like this in five minutes? It’s not fair. I have been up since six and don’t look that good. What’s your secret?”
“Yeah, right. I love you, too. You don’t have to be so sweet.”
“No, really Nila. Anyway, how’d you oversleep on the first day of school? Weird dreams again?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Well, not only did you oversleep, but you got that look about you that I get after a great date with a hot guy. You know the look I’m talking about.”
“I really hate going to school looking like this,” Nila said.
“Like what? Even on your worst day you’re gorgeous. That hair of yours, I’ve never seen that color before in my life. And you got the prettiest, sea green eyes; you’re petite; not a blemish on your face; and perfect pearly whites to boot,” Sherry confessed.
“Yeah, right. I’m short and have the boobs of a 12-year-old. And face it, I’m always off somewhere in my own, little world that I have created in my head, so I appear to be oblivious to everything around me. I act like a total dork when someone tries to carry on a conversation with me. Anyway, thanks for the ride. My dad swears he’ll fix my tire tonight.”
“No prob. I just can’t believe that you busted a tire to keep from hitting a cat.”
“I love cats. You know how soft-hearted I am when it comes to animals.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now, about the hot dude from your dreams. When you gonna tell me about him? What does he look like? You’re keeping him a bit vague,” Sherry prompted.
“I-I don’t know. I do have some sketches,” Nila confessed shyly.
“You been sketching Mr. Hottie dream man?”
“Yeah. I hate to admit it, but he is becoming kind of an obsession. He’s all I think about. It’s screwy, I know, since he’s not real,” Nila replied as they pulled into the parking lot of Legacy High.
“Well. We’re here. Let me see the sketches before we go in. I can’t wait all day. Give me something to dream about,” Sherry coaxed.
“Okay,” Nila said as she opened her sketchpad.
“Wow! No wonder you can’t get any sleep. He is off-the-charts hot,” Sherry said with her mouth gaping as she stared at the sketches.
“If you’re done drooling over my dream man, can we please go in?” Nila asked as she carefully closed her sketchpad not wanting to bend the pages that held the images of her beautiful nobleman.
 
 
 
 
 
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