“I’ll be there.”
Dominic tuned in to the conversation when he heard those words, wondering where they were going. Because he wasn’t letting Willow out of his sight until the fool who thought he could put the look of fear on her face, that he did the night before, was taken care of. One way or another.
“I’ll ask him.”
Him?
Willow glanced his way, giving him a small smile. “Dom’s a big boy. If he wants to come, he can.”
Just those words alone had Dominic’s dick hardening almost to the point of pain. She was right on both counts.
Something in his eyes must have told her where his thoughts had gone, because her gaze left his and slowly tracked down his body, stopping where his aching cock now tented his pants. She licked her lips, those green eyes darkening to a deep emerald color.
“I’m going to have to let you go.”
The breathless tone in her voice had him moving toward her, his eyes glued to where that pretty pink tongue was peeking out between her full, pouty lips. He knew where he wanted those lips.
“Hang up the phone, Willow,” he ordered, his hands going to the belt at his waist. He’d been denied what he really wanted last night. He didn’t want to wait any longer. And judging by how quickly she got rid of whoever was on the other line before tossing her cell on the island, she didn’t either.
Reaching out, Willow knocked his hands away from his belt, grasping it herself and quickly undoing and removing it. The button on his pants and zipper were next. They were in a pool at his feet, along with his boxer briefs, before he knew it.
“I love it when you take charge, baby,” he growled. “It turns me the fuck on.”
Her eyes met his as she grasped her shirt by the hem and pulled it up and over her head. “Good, ‘cause I’m a take charge kind of woman.”
“My kind of woman,” he rasped, watching as she slowly lowered herself to her knees before him.
A shudder ran through him when Willow reached out and trailed her hands over his stomach, down his hips, and around to his ass. Leaning forward, placing her lips over the head of his cock, her eyes locked with his as she slowly pushed down, engulfing him in the hot cavern of her mouth. He groaned her name, a hand sliding into her thick hair as he watched her begin to move. She took as much of him as she could, and then paused, before sliding back up his length. Sucking gently on the tip of his straining erection, she moaned in pleasure. That one sound almost sent him over the edge.
The sight of those bright red lips sliding over his dick had him pushing into her mouth again, unable to stop himself. He was aware of the electricity flowing through the air. Their magic intertwining, like a hot, wild current of energy, making the hair on his arms stand on end. The lights began to flicker out of control, matching the way he was feeling.
Dominic felt the thread that had begun to tie him and Willow together months ago, begin to pull tighter than it ever had before, and he almost jumped when one of the bulbs in the light over the kitchen table popped. He moved to pull out of Willow’s hot, enticing mouth, but she tightened her hold on his ass, digging her nails in.
“I want to be inside you, Willow,” he rasped, a need that couldn’t be ignored. As much as he loved the things she was currently doing to him with her mouth and tongue, he wanted something else even more.
Reluctantly, she let him pull out of her mouth, and then help her to her feet. “Bedroom?”
Dominic shook his head. “Too far away.” His hands slid into the top of those ass hugging yoga pants, sliding them down and off her. The hot pink thong followed, and then the matching bra. Soon, he had her naked before him, his eyes raking over her body and taking in her every curve.
Sliding his hands under her bottom, he lifted her, biting back a groan when her wet pussy slid over the length of his cock. Willow’s hands came up to clutch at his shoulders, and he slowly lowered her down on his dick, cursing when he was enclosed in walls of heat. Gritting his teeth tightly, he fought back the urge to come right then.
“Dominic!”
“Fuck, Willow,” he muttered, walking forward until her back hit the wall.
“I wish you would!” she snapped, her green eyes flashing at him.
She didn’t have to tell him twice. Slamming his mouth down on hers, Dominic began to move. Pushing in and out of her in quick, fast thrusts, he claimed her mouth as he claimed the rest of her body. It was his, all of it, and he knew at that moment that he would never be able to let her go.
His magic surged forward, powerful and commanding. Willow’s met his halfway. It began to swarm around them, in them, merging until there was no Dominic’s magic and Willow’s magic. Now, you couldn’t tell them apart.
Willow laid her head back against the wall, clutching his shoulders tightly, her nails digging in so deep he knew she would leave marks. He didn’t care. Let her mark him. Claim him like he was hers. They belonged with one another. Together for eternity.
Dominic’s hips pistoned back and forth, his cock driving in and out of Willow’s wet heat. Cupboard doors began to open and then slam shut. The coffee cup Willow had left on the island jumped around until it fell to the floor and broke. The pictures on the walls moved back and forth, a couple slipping off the nails they were hanging on and crashing to the floor.
Willow stiffened, screaming his name, and then shattered around him, squeezing his shaft tightly and wringing his own orgasm from him. He shouted, slamming into her one last time, before he came deep inside her, giving her everything he had—everything he was.
Breathing heavily, Dominic slowly lowered Willow to the floor, holding her close to him while he gently stroked her hair. He felt his magic return to him, but it was different. It wasn’t just his anymore. It was a combination of his and hers. It felt different… and right.
Chapter Seven
“So, you want me to go with you where?”
Willow laughed as she swept up the last of the broken glass on the floor and dumped it into the trash can. After putting the broom away, she turned back to look at the man who was quickly capturing her heart. He was repositioning one of her pictures on the wall, now dressed in a dark blue pullover and a pair of jeans that gently cupped his firm ass that he’d had in a duffle bag in his car.
Thoughts of the shower they’d just shared came to mind, and she had to stop herself from crossing the room to jump him again. Her damn lady parts were tingling, and she wanted to run her hands over the curve of his round…
“Willow?”
Willow slowly brought her eyes up from his ass to meet his gaze, just then realizing he was glancing over his shoulder at her with a smirk on his face.
“What?”
“Where are we going?”
“Oh! Desi and Drake want us to meet them at Desi’s grandmother’s to help them decorate that huge tree in front of Farrah’s house. It’s something they do every year.”
“Do you normally go?”
Willow shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest. “No. Usually, I’m working.”
Dominic nodded, stepping back to give the picture one last look before turning to face her. “And here?”
Willow cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Do you decorate here for Christmas?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense. I’m hardly ever here to enjoy it.”
Dominic frowned, his eyes going beyond her to the hallway and what he could see of the living room. “Did you decorate your house, Willow, or hire a contractor?”
Willow blushed, following his gaze. “I did. When I’m home, I like to be surrounded by things that make me happy.”
Dominic was quiet for a moment before he slowly crossed the room toward her. Taking her hands in his, he tugged her to him, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “So, which one of your personas are the real you?”
“I have more than one?”
Chuckling, he nodded. “There’s the strong, sassy female who makes me
want to pull my hair out one minute and kiss her senseless the next. The no-nonsense attorney who only wears blacks, browns, and gray tones, who makes me want to bend her over a desk and fuck her senseless. And then there’s this Willow.” He waved around the kitchen and living room areas. “The one who embraces her softer side. Shows her heart just a little bit more. The one I want to love senseless.”
Willow stiffened, ducking her head, knowing her face was bright red with embarrassment now. One moment Dominic made her feel all hot and bothered, the next vulnerable and nervous.
“Tell me why you don’t like to let people close, Willow.” Willow tried to pull away, but Dominic wouldn’t let her. “Baby, please, talk to me.”
Willow fought back the tears that threatened, not wanting to show him how much his question hurt. She did let people close. Well, one person. Desi.
“Why don’t you know anything about your neighbors after living here for over two years? Why don’t you have any friends except for your coven sisters? You have to know people from work? But you keep them at a distance, too?”
“Dominic, stop!” Willow demanded, yanking out of his arms, and taking several steps down the hall away from him. “Just stop!”
Dominic’s eyes clouded over, and he hung his head for a moment. Then he raised it and met hers. “Let me tell you why I do it, and then maybe, someday, you will share it with me.”
What? She’d never noticed Dominic keeping his distance from others. Exactly the opposite, actually. He was always talking, laughing, and teasing people. Willow frowned. That was right. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was all superficial. It was only with his brother and Desi, and sometimes her. When her coven sisters were around, he was polite, but more guarded. Why hadn’t she noticed that before?
“I fell in love when I was a teenager,” Dominic started. “Unfortunately, it was with my best friend’s girl, who was also one of my best friends.” Sighing, he turned and walked into the living room to stare out the front window. Placing his hands on his hips, he continued. “She was everything I thought I wanted at the time. Beautiful. Long, blonde hair. Big blue eyes. Sweet and innocent. A big, caring heart.”
“She sounds great,” Willow said softly, wondering where this story was going.
“She was,” Dominic agreed. “Her name was Sydney. She and her family moved to town when I was a junior in high school. From the moment I saw her, I only had eyes for her, but she only had eyes for Brandon.”
“That’s how it goes sometimes,” Willow murmured. “You can’t choose who you fall in love with.”
Dominic glanced back at her and nodded, before looking out the window again. “True, but you can choose whether or not you act on it. I chose incorrectly.”
“What do you mean?”
Dominic inhaled deeply before turning to face her. His eyes were dark and tumultuous, full of sorrow and regret. It took everything inside her not to go to him and wrap her arms around him tightly.
“We were at a party one night. A huge bonfire with a bunch of underage kids drinking, laughing, and having a good time. I cornered Sydney out by the barn while Brandon was inside getting some more beer. I was drunk, so was she.” Dominic swallowed hard, raking a hand through his hair. “I made the mistake of telling her how I felt and tried to kiss her.”
“I take it that didn’t go over so well?”
“Naw.” He shook his head. “She smacked me so hard it smacked me sober. Made me realized what a fool I was being. But, by then it was too late. Brandon showed up, and she told him what happened. He told me what a shitty friend I was, and he wasn’t wrong.”
Willow took a step toward him, unable to stop herself. “What happened, Dom?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened—hard as granite. Then he muttered, “They left. Brandon was pissed. He’d been drinking. He lost control of his car.” Dominic reached up and swiped at his eyes, trying to hide the moisture that appeared. “They didn’t make it.”
Willow crossed the room and slid her arms around his waist, pulling him close. Resting her head on his chest, she held him tightly to her. “That wasn’t your fault, Dom.”
“I hit on his girl.”
Willow leaned back to look at him. “Who the fuck cares?”
“What?”
Willow saw the shock on his face, but she ignored it. He obviously needed a wake-up call if he’d spent his entire life blaming his friends’ death on himself. “They both made the decision to drink. He made the decision to drive. She made the decision to get in the car.” Sliding her hands up, she cupped his cheeks. “Dom, all you did was tell someone that you cared about them. While it might not have been the best thing to do, you did not make them get into that car. That’s on them.”
“They died!”
“Yes, and it sucks. It really fucking sucks. But it isn’t your fault, Dom.” Rising up on her toes, she kissed his mouth softly. “It isn’t your fault.”
A shudder racked Dominic’s body, and then he pulled her close, burying his face in her neck. Willow felt his tears on her skin as he rasped, “I hated myself for so long. I believed I didn’t deserve to find love because I ruined theirs. That I didn’t deserve you, even though the Goddess thought I did for some reason.”
“You should probably change your thinking from being worried you don’t deserve me to being worried that you are stuck with me,” Willow teased. “Because, from what Desi tells me, once what we did this morning happens, there is no going back.”
Dominic raised his head, meeting her eyes. “I don’t want to go back, Willow Ryder.”
Chapter Eight
Dominic stood off to the side of the huge tree, his heart feeling lighter than it had for as long as he could remember as he watched Willow with her coven sisters. He’d never shared what happened that night with anyone except his brother. Not even his grandmother knew the full story. The guilt and shame that had been his constant companion for so many years wasn’t entirely gone, but it had lessened tremendously.
Willow made him feel things he had never felt before. Hell, he’d never even made it beyond a third date in the past, unwilling to string anyone along knowing he had nothing to offer them. With Willow, it was different. He wanted to give her everything.
“Love’s a powerful thing, isn’t it, brother?”
Dominic tore his gaze away from the woman who represented his future to glance over at Drake. “Yeah, it is.”
“You tell her how you feel?”
Dominic slowly shook his head. “Not yet.”
Drake clapped a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Don’t wait too long.”
“Drake, you and Dominic need to come put the star on top!” Desi hollered.
Staring at the two ladders that ran almost to the top of the tree on either side of it, Dominic raised an eyebrow. “We just spent an hour stringing lights around that mammoth thing, and now they want us back up at the top of it? Why didn’t they have us do it earlier when we were already up there?”
Drake shrugged, grinning at him. “Because they are evil witches and like to see us sweat.”
“Can’t we just float the thing up there?”
Chuckling, Drake began to walk away. “Don’t worry, Dom. I’ve got your back. I won’t let them know how scared of heights you are.”
Dominic groaned loudly when all eyes turned his way. He was going to kill his brother later. Unfortunately, what Drake said was the truth. He may have hung the lights without comment, but he’d been nervous as hell the entire time, and no part of him wanted to go back up there again.
Before he could reply, Willow was beside him, sliding her arm through his, and giving him one of her amazing smiles. “I think we’ve helped enough for the night. What do you say we go home and watch a movie?”
“You can’t leave yet,” Desi protested. “It’s only five o’clock. We can’t even light the tree until at least seven.”
“There is no way I’m staying here a couple more hours,” Willow
muttered, her grip on Dominic’s arm tightening. “We’re going to have to make a run for it.”
Dominic threw his head back and laughed, unable to stop himself. He knew she was trying to deflect the attention from him and his fear, and he couldn’t have loved her more than he did at that moment.
Cupping her cheek in his gloved hand, he leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Thank you, baby.”
“For what?” she asked, giving him an innocent look. Then, she ruined it by pursing her lips, blowing him a kiss, and giving him a sassy wink.
Shaking his head, Dominic pulled away from her and walked over to the same ladder he was on earlier. The star was huge, and there was no way his brother was going to be able to hang it by himself. Grasping a rope that one of Willow’s sisters handed him, Calla if he remembered correctly, he began to climb slowly. Drake was on the other side, clutching tightly to a separate rope as he made his way up his ladder.
Dominic was halfway up when he froze, a feeling of unease pushing at him that had nothing to do with his fear of heights. Frowning, he looked down at the others below, trying to see if any of them sensed anything.
Farrah was standing off to the side talking to her best friends, Glenda and Salena. Two of Willow’s sisters who were married were a little further away with their husbands and children building a snowman. Desi was with her sister and cousin, laughing about something. Willow was waiting patiently where he’d left her, but she took a step in his direction when their eyes met.
“Dominic, you okay over there? You need me to shoulder your part, too?” Drake teased loudly.
Ignoring him, Dominic let his gaze travel beyond Willow. Farrah lived in a large house in a nice neighborhood, where all the homes were spaced approximately half a mile apart. She was on a corner lot, and all of their vehicles were in her long driveway. There was only one car nearby that wasn’t. A dark, four-door sedan that was parked halfway down the street. Not in front of any house. It looked vacant, but something about it bothered him. It didn’t make sense that it was sitting where it was. It would have been a long walk to any house. So why was it there?
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