by R. A. Boyd
“Thanks,” she replied, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
Willow, Sabastian, Ambrose, and Teague stood in front of the community hall. The sun was high in the sky, but its warmth hadn’t quite reached them. Summer hadn’t fully settled in on New Rose just yet, and today was reminiscent of an early autumn morning.
A handful of fat fluffy clouds drifted across the otherwise clear sky. Birds and cicadas sang in the distance, and a cool breeze kicked up the dirt in front of the tree line. Willow lifted her hand and saw a black, red, and yellow ladybug land on the sleeve of her jacket. She gently poked it with the tip of her finger and blew out a soft breath to urge it along with the passing breeze. It ignored her for a few heartbeats and then flew off in Sabastian’s direction. When he saw it coming toward his face, he grimaced, ducked, and started waving his hands as if he were afraid of the pretty bug.
Willow laughed and tried to cover it up with a cough. “So,” she said to Ambrose and Sabastian. “Why are you leaving so soon? You just got here.”
Ambrose winked at her and shrugged. “It’s time for us to get back. We came to give you what you needed. Now, we need to get back to make sure Remus and the Rogues keep that dumb shit out of Salvatore. But we’re here if you need us. Where are Jax and Damon?”
“Trying to figure a way out of the dog house,” Ronin answered as he walked from the doors of the hall. “They’ll be fine. Can you give this to Gabe for me?” He handed Ambrose an envelope and the clamped him on the back after he took it. “I know he’s still upset with me, and I understand. He wasn’t expecting me for another thirty years, but…”
His words trailed off as he wrapped his arm around Willow’s shoulder. Instant warmth radiated from his touch to every part of her body. She leaned into him and put her nose to his chest. Whatever deodorant he had on was sexy. Manly. Fresh pinecones.
Ambrose pulled the keys to his truck out of his pocket and shook his head, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just sniff his underarm.”
“Don’t care,” Willow replied. She slid her arm around Ronin’s waist and sidled up closer to him.
He hooked his hands on his waist and looked at Ronin. “Gabe’s fine. He’ll come here to visit everyone when he’s ready.” Ambrose raised the envelope and waved it in the air. “I’ll give this to him as soon as we get back.”
“Where’s Cole?” Teague asked. He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky. “I thought he was going back with you.”
Ambrose’s shoulders lifted in a sigh, and he rocked back on his heels. “Nope. Said he’s staying to sort some stuff out.” He made a move to walk toward his truck but then stopped. “Keep an eye on him. He isn’t crazy like you were, but he doesn’t seem like himself.”
“Will do,” Teague muttered. He walked up to Ambrose, shook his hand, and then pulled him into a hug. “Good to see you. All of us need to get together for something. Dinner, bar-b-q, something. It’s been too long.”
All of them nodded in agreement, and then bid farewell to Sabastian and Ambrose.
As if on cue, Cole walked the community hall and stood as they watched the truck disappear down the tree-lined road. He turned and nodded at them and then silently walked to his house.
Cole never seemed to be too talkative. Since Willow came her, she’d never even heard him carry on a steady conversation with anyone. Until the other day when he was provoking Cass’s sister.
Life was fun here with the Ghosts. Much different than life was at the coven house. Even though she enjoyed eating meals alone with Ronin, she looked forward to the time she spent in the community hall with the rest of the clan. Whether they were eating or just sitting around talking, the way that spoke to and related to each other was easy.
She looked up at Ronin. A smile lifted the corners of his lips. He leaned toward her and rubbed his lips against her forehead. “Ready to go home?”
“Yes.” She turned to Teague and waved. “See you later.”
They talked as they walked the short distance to the house. She opened the unlocked door and started to shrug out of her jacket. Ronin took it from her and hung it in the closet next to the door.
Ronin walked into the living room and lifted a manila folder from the coffee table. “All of my accounts are online and active. I have everything I need to prove I’m me. And I’m happy as hell to say that I am all me.” He sat down on the maroon and beige couch and sighed.
Willow moved toward him, and instead of sitting on the couch next to him, she sat down on his lap. Good God, now she was doing the very thing that used to annoy her. Willow didn’t know how many times she’d asked Cass if she was capable of sitting in a chair by herself. She always opted to sit on one of her mate’s lap. And now, here Willow was, ignoring the twenty other places to sit and plopping her butt down on Ronin’s lap.
He didn’t seem to mind. She could feel the erection growing between his legs. She wiggled to get more comfortable, not that she wasn’t comfortable in the first place, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Do you know how to drive?” she asked as she picked up his identification. His dark eyes seemed to smolder on the card, and his full lips were in a straight line as he frowned at the camera. “I can teach you.”
He took in a deep breath and pursed his lips. “It can’t be that much different than it was from the last time I drove.”
“That was over seventy years ago,” she murmured. “You may need a refresher course.” She rubbed her nose against his and whispered, “How are you adjusting? Things are so different from the way they were when you were put under. Are you okay?”
She hadn’t had a chance to ask him since the spell. Everything was so hectic since he came back to the Ghost shifters. He hadn’t had a day to relax and just be himself. Things were moving so fast. Willow couldn’t wait until they had a day just for them where they could sleep as long as they wanted, and stay in bed even longer.
Ronin sat back on the couch and pulled Willow until she was straddling him. “I’m okay. It’ll take getting used to. My saber-tooth has been calm. That’s a ray of sunshine all by itself. But I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m still getting used to the idea of being here,” she admitted quietly. “I was with the coven for centuries. Even though I’ve made up my mind about staying, it still seems unreal. Almost like someone’s going to come and force me to go back. Which reminds me,” she said, sitting forward. “Sariel should be here in about an hour. She’s bringing the rest of the ingredients to make the wards around here permanent.”
Ronin speared a hand through her curls and massaged the back of her neck. “At least we can sleep better, knowing the wards will keep trespassers out. But we still need to figure out what to do.” He rubbed his hand up her thigh and rested his and on her ass, long fingers splayed like he was trying to hold on to as much of her bottom as he could.
“I know. We’ll figure it out. Jax, Damon, and Cass have a completely different issue on their plate, but I think all of us together can work this out. Are you having fun?” she asked.
Ronin’s hand steadily rubbed her ass as the fingers of his other hand tightened in her hair. “I really am,” he said gravely, but Willow would see the humor in his eyes. “This makes me feel better.”
“How does this make you feel? Better?” Willow slid her hand down his chest and then down past the waistband of his pants.
She ran her hand down the length of his erection and cupped his balls. Lightly, she squeezed his fragile sack and pulled. His eyes rolled closed and his head fell back against the back of the couch.
“That feels pretty damn good,” he moaned. He looked at her through hooded lids as the muscles in his neck tightened.
He rolled his hips as she slid her hand to the tip of his cock. She jerked him as she used her thumb to trace the long vein along his shaft, and then rubbed the bead of moisture into the swollen head of his dick.
She felt powerful as she move
d her hand up and down the length of him. His muscles twitched as he rolled his hips over and over, her name a whispered prayer of thanks as she worked to get him off. Willow writhed against him as he pushed his erection into her hand.
Too many layers of fabric separated their skin, but the friction against her nipples shot an erotic phone call right between her thighs. She let off a needy moan and lowered her lips to his.
He growled and gently bit her bottom lip. His voice was rough and low as he spoke. “Take off your clothes.”
Willow stood and slowly undressed for him. She pulled her lavender tee-shirt over her head and let it fall to the floor. Ronin reached forward to cup her breasts, but she took a step back and shook her head. The way his feral gaze raked up the length of her body brought a flood of heat to her panties. His nostrils flared, and she knew he could scent her desire. His brown eyes lightened as he watched her.
She ran her hands from her thighs to her breasts, scratching her nails along her skin and enjoying the sensation of light bursts that brought on goosebumps. When she reached the front clasp of her bra, she unhooked the little metal clip and turned around. Her bra fell from her arms and on to the floor, and Ronin groaned in frustration from not being able to see her breasts. They were heavy and ached to have his mouth on them. Her pulse hammered through her body, making her feel like one big, sensitive nerve that needed Ronin to stroke it. Touch it. Taste it.
With a painstaking slowness, she unbuttoned her jeans and slid them and her panties down her legs. She pushed her ass toward Ronin and peeked at him from between her legs. He’d already taken off his shirt and was shimmying his pants down his legs as he sat on the couch, eyes glued to her ass.
Feeling brave enough to touch herself in front of someone for the first time, Willow widened her stance so Ronin could see how swollen and wet she already was. She took her fingers and ran them up the length of her slit. She gasped as she zeroed in on her clit, rubbing tiny circles around the little button.
With a growl that she felt deep in her core, Ronin surged forward and grabbed her ass with both hands. She jerked forward and had to steady herself to keep her balance. Holding her round cheeks open, Ronin dragged his tongue along her slit, from her clit to her ass.
Her knees buckled as a tremor ripped its way through her body.
“Oh, Ronin,” she drawled out, pushing her behind toward his face as he sucked and licked her pussy.
He lapped along the bottom of her clit until her legs shook and she had to fight to stay standing. His raspy tongue stroked her over and over. “You smell so fucking delicious. You taste even better,” he ground out between tasting her. “Grab your ankles.”
Willow bent down farther and did as he instructed. She could feel herself open up even more to him.
A deep-throated chuckle fell from his lips, and the sound vibrated her clit. The walls of her entrance contracted and sent heat shooting through her. His breath caressed her pussy as he tongued her.
“I want you inside me,” she panted out.
He nipped the back of her thigh and pulled her toward him. Roughly, he grabbed her hips and yanked her backward. She watched as he held the base of his cock with one hand and guided her wet heat toward him.
When the head of his cock breached her entrance, he seized her by her hips and pulled her down onto him.
She yelled out as her tight sheath accepted his large size. Even though they’d been together this morning, the muscles of her pussy still trembled and stretched at the sheer size of his invasion. Willow tried to lift herself so she could feel the sensual friction of his cock stroke that overly sensitive spot just inside her cunt, but Ronin held onto her hips to still her.
“Don’t fucking move,” he growled out. “Fuck, I don’t want to come yet.”
Willow tried to slide herself forward and force the orgasm from his large, sexy body, but he held tight to her and nipped her arm with his teeth. She giggled and slid forward, and it drew a long snarl from Ronin’s mouth.
Fuck yes. She was ecstatic she could affect him like this. He was teetering on the edge of an explosion because of her.
She bucked her hips forward as Ronin lifted his body, surging into hers and filling her completely. She arched her back and Ronin glided his hands up her body and cupped her breasts. God, it felt so good as he kneaded her breasts and squeezed her nipples. Her heart pounded in her ears as his skin slapped against her skin.
“I want you to come on my dick,” he growled. “I need to feel your hungry cunt take all of my cock. Goddamn, Willow,” he hissed as she leaned forward and reached down to massage his balls as she rode him hard.
It was an awkward position, but hearing him call her name made it worth it. Ronin’s hand slid over the curve of her ass. His fingertips danced along the delicate skin of her thigh until his hand hovered above where their bodies were joined.
Willow licked her lips and rested her hands on his knees. She was determined to bring him to an orgasm that would render him useless for the rest of the day. As he thrust deeper into her pink pussy, his fingers circled her clit, and she cried out as her own orgasm began to build low in her belly.
“Oh, God,” she breathed out as her head fell back against his shoulder. “I’m going to come. I’m going to come,” she repeated again and again.
Bolts of pain and pleasure tingled along her scalp as he gripped her hair and pumped his hips against hers, cock driving into her over and over as she ground her slick pussy against him. He trailed biting kisses along her shoulder and back. He was wild and untamed, and she loved every minute. He felt amazing.
A loud rumble sounded in his chest as his cock lengthened inside of her. He was on the verge of his own release. She braced the palms of her hands on her knees and slid up his cock until the only thing that connected them was the swollen head of his dick. She kept repeating the motion until Ronin’s fingers bit into her thick thighs.
An explosion of pleasure washed over her as every muscle in her body tensed. Warmth spread through her body as the intense orgasm came in crashing waves. Ronin let off a helpless noise as his movements became erratic. His shaft swelled and pulsed inside of her as he shot jets of his seed deep in her cunt.
Willow gave up the last bit of strength she was holding on to and slumped her back against his chest. Ronin buried his face in the bend of her neck and kissed her. As frenzied as their lovemaking had been, this time between them now was soft and tender. His hands moved along her body as they caught their breath.
A constant purr echoed in Ronin’s chest. Willow smiled and wiped a few strands of sweat-soaked hair from her face. She delighted in the jagged breaths he drew in, knowing she was the reason he could barely breathe. And the reason he was purring.
“I like that sound,” she said on a sigh.
Ronin cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around her full breasts. “I’ve never made that sound before. Ever. It won’t stop.” He laughed and kissed her ear.
A ringtone sounded off in the room. It was the one she used for Sariel’s number. When Willow leaned forward to grab her pants from the floor, she could feel Ronin’s cock pulse inside her.
“Don’t answer it,” Ronin groaned as he kneaded the soft skin of her behind. “Let’s eat and go to sleep. Wasn’t that the plan?” he asked innocently.
“It was until you got frisky.”
Still impaled by Ronin’s shaft, Willow managed to grab the leg of her jeans. She dragged them toward her and completely lifted off of Ronin. Even with his cock at half-mast, he felt exquisite inside her.
“Why’d you make me pull out?” he asked, rubbing his hands along her back.
“Because,” she whispered, sliding her finger up the screen of the phone to answer the call. “I don’t want to have a conversation with someone while you’re still inside me. Hello,” she said into the phone.
The sound of Christmas music blared through the line. Willow forgot Sariel listened to Christmas songs all year long.
“Hey, Wi
llow,” Sariel said. “I’m about twenty minutes away. Have any food at your place or should I stop and get something.”
Crap. She only had twenty minutes to take a shower and get ready. Damn-it, she was still sleepy.
“I have food here,” Willow answered. “But I want to take you to dinner in town. There’s a great pub here. It’s Audra’s.”
Willow stood from Ronin’s lap and shimmied to get away from his grabby hands as he tried to pull her back down to him. She smiled and started picking up her clothes.
“Sari,” Willow yelled, remembering the temporary wards she and Zeke put down a few days ago. “Stop the car about twenty feet from the green and white street sign that says Acadia. The wards are still in place. You’ll get sick or start hallucinating if you get too close. I’ll meet you out there and add your blood to the spell.”
“Awesome,” Sari sang in an inflection voice. “See you in fifteen.”
What? She needed more time. “You said twenty minutes.”
What the hell else did Willow expect? Sari drove like a bat out of hell.
“Just be ready!” Sari sang even louder. “I’m starving. And I need to use the bathroom.”
◆◆◆
Willow walked down the tree-lined road that led to the entrance of the Ghost shifter property. She hummed a tune about mistletoe and Christmas trees and then belted out a laugh that quieted the birds that sang in the trees. It was spring. The pines and maples were in full bloom, and the creepy, crawly, stupid bugs had scaled their way from Tartarus to torture anyone who dared to walk around with no bug repellant on. She hated bugs. There was no need for them. At least that’s how she saw it.
The sky shined a vibrant blue and pink as the sun still lit up the late afternoon. A sea of yellow daffodils waved to her from a field beyond the trees, and she made a mental note to herself to bring Ronin here for a picnic. The area was beautiful.