Witch Way Now: A Paranormal Romantic Comedy (Raising Hell Downunder Book 4)

by Rhiannon Hartley

  "I can't kiss you if you're crying this hard," Jacob said, wiping a tear from her eye with his fingers.

  "Sure you can," Beatrix whispered, and she leaned up on her bare feet to press her lips against his. The feeling was instant, electric, perfect. At the touch of his lips on hers, her body seemed to come back to life. All her pain, all her loss, all her grief dissolving under his kiss, and there was nothing, nothing at all but Jacob. Jacob and this kiss.

  When he pulled back, he was breathing hard, and his eyes were bright and glassy like he was holding back tears himself. "Never thought I'd get to do that again," Jacob said quietly, his arms tight around her like he was afraid to let her go. Like he was afraid she'd slip away if he didn't hold on.

  "No way," Beatrix shook her head. "I definitely wasn't done with kissing you."

  "Good," Jacob said, brushing his thumb over her cheek. "God, I was going to wait to say this because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. But fuck it. Beatrix, I'm completely in love with you. Totally, utterly, absolutely. I haven't felt like this about anyone else, and when you thought I had betrayed you, I..." he shook his head. "There's nothing I wouldn't have done to redeem myself, to you."

  Beatrix let out a shocked breath. "Seriously?" she whispered. "You really..."

  "I really do," Jacob said. "It's okay. You don't have to feel bad about not saying it back. After all, I lied, and that was horrible, and I need to re-earn your trust, and I'm just happy you're giving me a chance at all and—"

  "Please stop talking," Beatrix said, pressing her finger to his lips. "And let me tell you that I love you. Even when I thought...I thought maybe you weren't the guy I had fallen for. But you are. Never thought I could love anyone, but..."

  "Oh, thank god for that," Jacob breathed, and his mouth was on hers again. Beatrix gave herself up to the kiss, letting him devour her mouth with his own, putting everything she had into him. All she wanted was his mouth on hers, his hands firm on her body, and the promise of what she knew would happen next and–

  A sound of skidding paws. Gumbo and Prada came running into the room at top speed, Prada jumping up onto the lounge and barking at a delighted Gumbo, their chasing game in full swing.

  Beatrix pulled back, unable to stop herself from laughing. "Gees guys," she said, shaking her head. "You really know how to ruin a mood."

  Ant came in at that moment. "Sorry!" he said. "They slipped past me." He looked at the way that Beatrix and Jacob were wrapped around each other. "I see we've reconciled, then?" he asked with a sly grin.

  "Something like that, Jacob admitted.

  "Halle-fucking-julah!" Ant cried, throwing his hands in the air and wrapping his arms around the both of them, squeezing them tightly. "I would have been so mad if you had lost this girl, Jacob. She's a keeper."

  "I hope so," Jacob said, grinning as Ant pulled back.

  "I am," Beatrix said quietly, but her smile was from ear to ear.

  "Well," Ant said, looking between the two of them. "I think that what I need to do right now is take these two on a really, really long walk. Like, a few hours at least. So that you two can..."

  "Oh, you don't need to—" Beatrix began.

  "Honey, I definitely do," Ant said, picking up the leads and chasing down the excited dogs. "Besides, these two? Totally great for getting handsome passers-by interested in me. Who could resist two dogs at once?"

  "Well, if you're sure," Jacob began, unable to keep the grin from his own face.

  "Never been more sure," Ant said. "Now take this girl up to your room and show her that she hasn't made a mistake taking back your sorry ass. I recommend the use of your tongue. Copiously."

  "Dude!" Jacob laughed. "Don't—"

  "What?" Ant said, clipping on Prada's lead as he led the two dogs towards the door. With the combination of a Hawaiian shirt, hot pants and high tops, and one enormous and one tiny dog, Beatrix thought Ant was absolutely right to think that he'd attract attention.

  "Nothing," Jacob said. "Have a good walk."

  Ant gave him a thumbs-up and was almost pulled bodily from the room by Gumbo.

  "So," Jacob said, laughing awkwardly once they were alone. "Obviously, we don't have to do anything. We can just sit and talk—"

  "Sure we can," Beatrix said, grabbing the waistband of Jacob's jeans firmly in one hand. "We can sit and talk. Afterwards." She pressed her body against his, leaving no doubt as to what she meant by that.

  "Oh, thank fuck," Jacob breathed, and his mouth was back on hers in an instant, sliding his hands under her shirt and over the sensitive skin of her stomach, her back, her hips. She could feel how much he wanted her, and she was desperate to give herself to him in every possible way. "And please tell me you brought those magic condoms."

  "I did," Beatrix admitted. "I wasn't sure how this would go, but..." she mouthed over his Adam's apple. "I wanted to be prepared."

  "You're the best," Jacob murmured. "Come on," he said. "Need to get you up to my bedroom. Don't want to do this next to Ant's weird art."

  "I kind of like it," Beatrix teased, pointing at the cogs glued to the mannequin head. "Don't you see its erotic potential?"

  "Absolutely not," Jacob deadpanned, but he took both her hands in his as he led her up the narrow stairs.

  Beatrix had a brief impression of neat shelves, fresh white linen, and rows and rows of books as Jacob guided her down onto his bed. She wanted to say it was weirdly tidy for a man's bedroom, but that was kind of sexist, and soon she wasn't thinking about anything at all. Ant had been absolutely right to get out of the house because Jacob was making her cry out and moan as his hot lips teased along her neck, her collarbone, her stomach, his every touch setting her body on fire with want, with need.

  "Are you trying to kill me?" she moaned, arching up into him, wanting more contact. "God, Jacob, stop teasing me and let me get you naked!" She pulled at his t-shirt impatiently.

  "That sounds like an excellent idea," he grinned, but he didn't stop, little grazes of teeth and hot breath, so close to where she wanted him. She groaned in frustration, yanking up his shirt, and there was a fumble of fabric as t-shirts and jeans went flying, and Beatrix pressed her body against his, crying out at how good it felt to have his skin against hers once more.

  "You feel perfect," Jacob groaned, not teasing at all now. "I couldn't stand it when I thought I might never have you like this again. In my arms, all mine."

  "That would have been a tragedy," Beatrix agreed, crying out as his strong, capable hands cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples to hardness. She pressed her hips up, almost riding his thigh in her desperation for him to touch her properly.

  "Spread your legs," Jacob whispered, and Beatrix complied, letting Jacob yank down her thong, and almost vibrating with anticipation as his handsome head made its way down her body, a kiss here, a graze of teeth there, soft breath over her hipbone.

  "Jacob, please!" she moaned, unable to stop her hips rising a little as he pressed feather-light kisses over her thigh. So close, so goddamn close. He was going to drive her crazy; she was absolutely sure of it. This wasn't fair.

  But her patience was rewarded when suddenly his mouth captured her clit, tongue swirling over her in hot strokes, licking, sucking, teasing, swirling exactly how she liked. Her hands balled into fists, and she felt like she was levitating above Jacob's pristine white bed.

  "Holy fucking crap!" she cried. "God, Jacob, so good, so perfect!" His hands were firm on her thighs like he wanted to hold her in place while he tongued her, completely confident that she'd love every second of it. And he wasn't wrong. How was he so insanely good at this? With other men, this had been a perfunctory thing. Something they thought they had to do - to get the favour returned. But with Jacob, Beatrix honestly believed that he wanted her to feel this good, that he cared about her pleasure, that it truly turned him on to make her moan, beg and shudder beneath him.

  "Please, Jacob, can't last much longer!" she begged. "Please, want you to—"

  "W
hat do you want, Beatrix?" he whispered, looking up at her from between her thighs, his lips wet with her, eyes dark with desire.

  "I want you," she whispered. She was about to say, I want you to fuck me. And it would have been true, but it wouldn't have been the whole truth. Instead, she said words she had never, ever said before. Words that would have made her cringe before she met Jacob. "I want you to make love to me."

  Even now, she hesitated for a moment, her cheeks flushing. Would he find those words too corny?

  "God yes, I need you," Jacob groaned, and he grabbed the little container Beatrix had pulled from her jeans, smoothing the liquid over his hard cock. "Want to give you that, Beatrix."

  She cried out as he held her close, pressing up against him, one leg over his hips. "Like this?" she whispered, looking into those sparkling green eyes."

  "Just like this," Jacob murmured, positioning himself right at her wet entrance. "Want to be able to see you."

  Beatrix let out a cry as he pushed inside her, his thick, hard cock filling her up entirely and sending shockwaves of pleasure shooting through her body.

  "Fuck!" she cried, biting down hard on her lip. "God, Jacob, feels so good. Like nothing else. Just...you." She cried out again as he began to move inside her, slowly, like he had all the time in the world, and all he wanted was to enjoy being buried inside her, holding her body against his. Making love.

  "Love you so much, Beatrix," he breathed, pressing hot kisses to her mouth as he held her tight against him. "So goddamn much."

  "Love you more," she ran one hand through his sweat-damp hair. "Definitely love you more."

  Jacob chuckled ever so softly, but then he began to move faster inside her, and there were no thoughts, no laughter, no words, just bliss. Waves of bliss, arrows of desire, darts of pleasure crashing through her body again and again.

  "So close!" she gasped out, mouthing over Jacob's skin, grinding her hips into him, determined to feel every last inch of him inside her.

  "Good," he murmured. "Want to see you come for me."

  Beatrix threw her head back, crying out loud as Jacob thrust into her harder and faster than ever before, taking her to new levels of ecstasy, and it was only moments before orgasm crashed through her, sudden and totally overwhelming. She cried out, probably screamed loud enough for Ant to hear her blocks away, bucking into Jacob as his orgasm joined her own.

  When their bodies finally stilled, it was a long time before either of them managed to say anything at all.

  "Was it always that good?" Beatrix breathed. "Bloody hell, I don't remember it being that good. And I remember it being pretty damn amazing."

  "Guess it's better now that we're—" Jacob took a breath, tracing one finger down her cheek.

  "What?"

  "In love," Jacob said, wrinkling up his nose. "Is that disgustingly corny? Are you repulsed?"

  Beatrix laughed, nuzzling into his skin. "I can just about cope. You're pretty cute, after all."

  "Mmm, I'm glad," Jacob said quietly. "Because if anyone can bring out my soppy side, it's you."

  "I want every side of you," Beatrix said. "Every bit of you. Forever, ideally."

  "I think we can do that," Jacob said quietly, and he kissed her again.

  29 Jacob

  Jacob and Beatrix were clothed again when Ant came home with Prada and Gumbo, but it was a near thing, and Jacob's t-shirt was very much back to front.

  "I see," Ant said, looking them both up and down. "Well, I'm glad. You deserve that after moping around the place like a sad sack of shit for days."

  Jacob laughed, shaking his head. "We might, uh, take off," he said, looking at Beatrix. They hadn't discussed it. "If that's okay with you?"

  "Definitely," Beatrix said, smiling wickedly. "I want to do things that make this guy groan very loudly, and I don't want to make things uncomfortable for you, Ant."

  "Take him away!" Ant said, waving a hand. "I love you, dude, but it would be nice to have the place to myself again for a bit."

  "Yeah, fair enough," Jacob said. "Thanks for putting up with me, you know?"

  "Anything for you, dude," Ant grinned. "Now get the hell out of here, the orgy starts in twenty minutes!"

  Beatrix pouted. "Oh, now I want to stay," she teased.

  "No orgies," Jacob said firmly. "Just want you all to myself."

  "I think I can live with that," Beatrix said, looking up at him with wide eyes and a soft smile. She kissed him gently, just a brush of her lips, but it sent floods of warmth through Jacob just the same. She loved him. Beatrix really, truly, legitimately loved him. He was pretty much the luckiest guy alive.

  ✽✽✽

  Neither Beatrix nor Jacob was very attentive to their work over the next week. It wasn't hard for Jacob to take it easy - after all, his father still wasn't speaking to him. Once he had seen that signed deed for the protected bushland, he had finally stopped calling Jacob, trying to convince him to change his mind about Kappa. Now, it seemed, Chuck didn't have anything to say to him.

  "I have to call my mother," Beatrix grimaced, putting down her latest embroidery (the words There's no place like Hell over a background of leaping flames), picking up her phone and pushing Gumbo off her lap. He went smoothly, falling back asleep in her vacated position right away.

  "That time already, huh?" Jacob said, pausing the true-crime documentary they were watching.

  "Yeah," Beatrix sighed. "Besides, I kind of need to update her on...all of this." She waved a hand to indicate Jacob's renewed and hopefully permanent presence in her life.

  "Think she'll ever stop hating me?" Jacob asked with a grin, but his stomach twisted. He couldn't really blame Agnes for disliking him. He had seriously and epically fucked up. Beatrix might have forgiven him, but he couldn't expect Agnes to forgive him, not when he had the Ordinary thing against him too.

  "Definitely," Beatrix said, smiling. "She's... Look, my mother is unusual. And she's a lot. But she loves me. And how could she hate the guy who makes me so happy? I mean, it might take a few years, don't get me wrong. But she'll come around."

  Jacob smiled. "I hope so," he said. "I mean, we need to have at least one non-estranged parent between us."

  "You haven't heard from your dad?" Beatrix asked, looking sympathetic.

  "Not since he saw the deed for the protection of the bushland," Jacob sighed. "I kind of expected it from him, but Mum hasn't answered my calls either, so..." He shook his head. "Tom reckons they'll come around. It's just a matter of time."

  "We've got plenty of that," Beatrix smiled. "And if a gift basket of skincare might smooth things over, I can arrange that."

  "You're an angel," Jacob said, running his hand over her waist. "Now go and call your mother."

  As Beatrix took the call in the other room, Jacob sat there, thinking about his parents. They would forgive him, wouldn't they? They'd have to come around.

  "Yes, I told you!" he heard Beatrix say. "He's protected that bushland forever. No one can touch it. And I love him. He might be an Ordinary, but he's an extraordinary man, and you're just going to have to deal with it."

  Her words made his heart swell in his chest. He didn't regret his decision for a moment. His father's anger, his mother's disappointment, his brother's confusion. It sucked, sure, but he knew he had done the right thing. The moral thing. And that was why Beatrix loved him. Because he had chosen to be a good guy. And that was worth so much more than merely being a dutiful son and keeping the peace.

  ✽✽✽

  "Who wants a sandwich?" Jacob asked, pushing open the double doors of the workshop.

  Beatrix looked up and gave him that smile that seemed to warm him from the soles of his feet to the very tips of his ears. "How did you know we were in serious need of sandwiches?"

  "I just had a vibe," Jacob shrugged. "Lots of orders before the long weekend, huh?"

  "They just keep coming in!" Onyx said, picking up a sandwich from the tray and returning to the computer. "Bea, we're going to need an integ
rated stock system. We're way past me just counting how much we've got and writing it on a post-it."

  Beatrix groaned and covered her face. "I know you're right," she said. "But not today. Today, I'm just going to make serums until my fingers fall off."

  "But they're such lovely fingers," Jacob objected, taking her hands in his and kissing her palms. "It would be a great loss."

  "I'm glad you two sorted things out," Shauna said, taking a sandwich. "Even if it does mean I'm subjected to all this lovey-dovey business in the workplace."

  "Sorry!" Beatrix apologised, blushing. "I try not to, but I just get...distracted."

  "I'm happy for you both, honestly," Shauna said, taking a large bite. "You're good together. And I don't need to be a witch to see that your auras are glowing with happiness, as Wade would say."

  Jacob laughed. "Yeah, my cheeks have been sore from smiling too much."

  "You did a brave thing, standing up to your dad like that," Shauna said. "You deserve to be happy now."

  "I am," Jacob said, although there was still that sad feeling in the pit of his stomach when he thought about his mum and dad. "But it would be nice if there was some spell just to make them forgive me, right away."

  "I could probably swing it," Beatrix said, looking thoughtful. "But you wouldn't want that really, would you?"

  Jacob shook his head. "It's gotta be real," he said. "Anyway, Tom says they'll come around."

  "They should be proud of you," Shauna said, stuffing the last of the sandwich into her mouth and dusting off her hands.

  "I'm proud of you," Beatrix said, kissing him on the cheek and running her fingers through his hair. She paused. "Have you got that meeting with Free & Able this afternoon?"

  "Yep," Jacob said. "Going over to the lawyer's office after this to sign all the paperwork. If everything goes well, they'll be the first tenant, all up and running in about six months."