by AJ Renee
Emboldened by his admiration, she ran her hands up her thighs and stomach and finally to her breasts. Pushing them together, she massaged the soft flesh, enjoying how his jaw clenched and his nose flared.
Ryan groaned when her fingers plucked at her nipples. “That’s hot…”
“Take off your shirt,” she demanded, needing to see the firm muscles covered by his thermal shirt.
Leaning forward, he obeyed without question and slipped off the material before returning to his previous position against the trunk. She pulled him in for another kiss, committing to memory the feel of his bare chest against hers.
She should have been chilled by the elements, but Ryan’s touch warmed her. Their kiss was slow and sweet. They took their time exploring each other. She did not know how much time had passed before the dam began to crack. Her nails dug into his shoulders, and her hips rocked harder against him. She needed more, so much more from him.
Ryan flipped them over and his deft fingers unbuttoned her pants. “You okay?” he asked as he pulled off the material.
She noted a flannel blanket now lay between her and the soft, cool ground. She nodded, after verifying there were no hard points digging into her flesh. “Where’d this come from?” she asked, running the pads of her fingers over the soft fabric.
He grinned. “Magic.”
His gaze lowered, darkening as it moved over her naked form, and a bolt of need settled between her thighs. It would not take much for this man to bring her to the brink of ecstasy.
“Shit… I’m one lucky witch,” he murmured before kissing one of her feet and then the other.
His hands trembled against her skin, telling her how he was holding himself back. He lowered his lips and placed sensual kisses along her skin and one on her mound. When he stopped his sweet torture, she looked down her body at him.
His dark eyes met hers, and his nose flared. “You smell so sweet,” he said before his mouth was on her.
Brandy’s back arched off the ground at the intense pleasure. He used his tongue to lick, pump, and flick, teasing her mercilessly. Within moments, glorious stars in translucent colors of the rainbow erupted in her vision.
Ryan made love to her with his mouth until she floated back down to her body. Only then did he stop and push to his feet, quickly removing the rest of his clothes.
Her breath was still ragged when he covered her body with his. Pressing against her entrance, he caressed her cheek before sweeping the loose hair off her face.
“Look at me, sweetheart,” he demanded in a shaky voice.
Brandy raised her hands to the smooth skin of his ribs and met his eyes. There was no embarrassment, no magic, and no jealousy. Just them in the woods, sharing their bodies.
Committing.
She should have been terrified. She barely knew him, and with one look, she would give up everything for him, including her family. It was a powerful and strange emotion.
“We don’t have to do this,” he whispered when she merely stared, concern etched on his face.
He was right. They did not have to do this. Only… they did. Brandy would die if they did not unite. He held a part of her soul. She could feel it beating within him, the same way she could feel the piece which belonged to him inside her.
He ran his nose along hers. It was a sweet caress, the opposite of the animalistic hunger clawing at them both. “Once we do this, there won’t be anyone else,” he whispered as he stared deep into her soul.
Brandy thought about it for only a second. She did not need more time. Her magic swirled around her, mixing with Ryan’s, and she knew without a doubt that even if they did not unite right then, there was not another soul for her.
Sure, she could have sex again, but it would be missing a piece. She now understood why things with Greg would have never worked out. She may have loved him, but she would never have been in love with him so long as Ryan existed.
“No one else,” she whispered.
A smile lit his face, and he sealed their promise with a kiss.
He pressed against her slick folds, maintaining eye contact even as her lids fluttered, threatening to close at the beautiful pleasure. A brilliant light flashed in his eyes, stealing her breath. The leash Ryan held on his control snapped.
Their tongues dueled and mated in a bruising kiss. He pulled her knee up high, and his hips thrust against her. Ryan claimed her with every inch of his thick length. His slow, deep strokes stole her breath. They wrapped themselves in each other as they came together as one.
It took seconds for her body to reach the edge. Brandy bit his shoulder as the most intense ecstasy she had ever experienced slammed into her chest. Lifting her hips, he pounded into her until he stiffened with his own climax.
One orgasm chased the other as he released into her body. A warmth wrapped around them, and their powers crackled. Little sparks could be seen in the sudden fog surrounding them. The air around them was thick and pulsing with their magic.
Ryan dropped his forehead to hers and pressed a quick succession of kisses to her mouth. Brandy took in the moment, never having experienced anything like that in her life.
“Fuck… I’m never going to tire of you,” he said.
“What?” Brandy asked silently.
“I didn’t say anything,” Ryan murmured against her lips and flipped them over. Straddling him in their new position, she enjoyed the pounding of his heart against her cheek.
“I would’ve looked for you sooner if I would’ve known,” he said.
“Known what?” she asked.
“Your pussy is pure magic, like drinking from a well,” he said.
Brandy giggled.
“What’s so funny, sweetheart?” he murmured, the words vibrating against her cheek.
“My pussy is pure magic?” she asked, repeating his words, and more laughter escaped her.
His body tensed. “I never said that.”
“Yeah you—” Brandy paused and lifted her head as she thought on the matter for a moment. She studied his face before her eyes widened.
“Can you hear me, Rye?” she asked.
Ryan’s eyes widened, and he lifted onto his elbows. “Your lips didn’t move… but I heard you.”
“No shit, Sherlock. Now you try,” she said.
“Okay. My butt itches,” he said.
Brandy slapped his chest. “Seriously? ‘My butt itches’ is all you can think of to say?”
“Wow! I didn’t think you’d actually hear me,” he said with round eyes.
“What’s going on, Rye?” She knew their union was unlike anything before, but this was a different level of weird for Brandy.
He leaned back and wiggled his lower end. “I don’t know.”
“Just scratch it already. You keep moving like that, and I’m going to fall off,” she told him.
Ryan shot her a boyish grin before scratching himself. “I’ve heard of people say they knew what their soul mate was thinking, but I never thought they meant it literally.”
“This is crazy!” she told him, placing her chin on her palm. “Do you think it’s everything we think or only if we talk to each other?”
“I don’t know,” he said. His brows crinkled in thought, and Brandy admired how cute he looked. “Did you hear me that time?”
“No. I didn’t. What did you say?” she asked, and his smile turned devilish.
“You’re so sweet, and I want another taste before Peter comes looking for us,” he said.
Her cheeks warmed. “You do have a talented mouth.”
“I can get used to this. It takes sexting to a whole new level,” he said and flipped her under him.
“What are you doing?” she asked as he kissed her chest, licked a nipple, and made his way down to her suddenly wet sex.
“I’m going to have another taste and make you scream out my name,” he replied.
Ryan followed through, and Brandy enjoyed every second of it. He seemed to know all her sweet spots. In no time, h
er back arched off the ground again, and Ryan sealed his mouth over her sex, lapping up every drop of her pleasure.
At the sight of his engorged dick, Brandy pushed him onto his back and climbed on top. Since she was already primed and ready from their joining, it did not take long for them to come apart. They both cried out, their screams echoing through the forest, before she collapsed onto his chest.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how good we are together,” he said.
Brandy sucked in a breath so she could reply, but then she remembered she could remain quiet. “It’s amazing between us.”
“You two done screwing yet?” Peter’s voice boomed through the trees.
Her face warmed, embarrassed that Peter knew exactly what they were up to. “How did he know?”
“Werewolf hearing. I’m guessing he heard you screaming my name,” Ryan said.
Unable to handle that piece of information, Brandy buried her face against his chest.
He cupped her cheeks and studied her. “You have no reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed.”
“I just…”
“Do you regret it already?” Ryan asked, hurt flashing in his eyes.
“No!” she yelled.
Ryan released her and grabbed his head. “Oh man, that was like in surround sound.”
“I’m so sorry, honey!” she whispered and cupped his cheek. “It’s weird having Peter know.”
“You already saw his dick, sweetheart.”
“And what a dick,” she thought before she remembered.
Ryan froze under her before he lifted her and placed her gently next to him. “How about we not think about my best friend’s junk?” His words were icy.
Brandy wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole. “I’m sorry! I meant—”
Ryan cupped her cheek as she pulled her jeans to her hips. “Please just drop it. I’m not mad at you, I’m—this is all new. Okay? We need to be careful with our thoughts until we get a rein on it.”
Brandy nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her naked breasts pressed against his shirt. “I’m sorry. I don’t want him. I want you. No one else.”
Ryan kissed her back, but it was different. Sad and hurt feelings emanated from him. She was to blame for those emotions, and she vowed to make it better.
Once they were dressed, they walked to the house and found Peter leaning against the railing. He hadn’t a care in the world. And yet, thanks to him and his nakedness, things between her and Ryan had gone from spectacular and better than any dream her subconscious could have come up with to weird and hurt.
“What the hell is wrong with you two?” Peter asked, straightening to his height. He must have sensed the air around them. “I would have thought all that tension between you would be gone. Rye? Were you not able to get it up?”
Ryan stopped walking next to her. She felt his power radiate around them. Squeezing his hand, she forced him to look at her. “We’re one, honey. He’s just messing with you.”
Ryan remained silent, both with his words and in her mind.
“Ouch!” Peter cried out and grabbed the railing.
Brandy watched as Peter’s jeans shrank around his waist. “Ryan! Stop it!” She grabbed his arm and tugged, needing him to hear her. “This is ridiculous! You’re hurting him!”
Ryan faced her, and varying emotions swirled in his eyes before she heard Peter sigh with relief. Ryan removed her hand from his arm, and she watched him disappear into thin air, thanks to the spell she now hated.
Tears welled in her eyes as she stared at the spot she last saw him. There was not much else she could have said or done. Glancing up at her new friend— a hot friend, albeit still only her friend—she saw him looking on with a mix of pain and anger.
Brandy made her way inside without a word and closed the door to her little room. She curled up on the bed and wondered how such a beautiful afternoon had turned to shit so fast.
Chapter 14
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Babycakes?” Peter asked through the door, but she ignored him like she had the last hundred times he knocked.
Three days after the “event,” as she had come to see it, she called Ryan with both their newfound line of communication and her phone, but he refused to respond to either.
“You need to eat something!” Peter called, worry vibrating in his voice.
Brandy was hurt and angry. She did not want food. She did not want company. She did not want to practice her magic.
She only wanted Ryan back, so she could kick his ass and they could fix whatever had caused him to lose it.
The doorknob jiggled, and she sat up in bed when it broke. The door opened, and Peter filled the doorway. Anger and sadness flashed in his eyes. He strode to her bed in three long steps before he gathered her against him. With his warm arms wrapped around her, more tears fell from her eyes.
She should have been dehydrated from as much as she had cried. How she had any left was a mystery to her.
“I’m gonna kick his ass,” Peter promised, running his hand down her hair as he squeezed her tightly.
He was a wall of muscle. She felt incredibly tiny and fragile in his arms. His touch reminded her of Junior’s or Ethan’s… or any of her brothers’.
“He was so angry when he left,” she whimpered, pissed it bothered her so much.
“Yeah, and he took it out on my poor dick.”
Brandy slapped his chest.
“You going to tell me what happened, or am I just going to kill my oldest friend?” Peter asked.
Hoping it would make her feel better, she told him everything minus the sweet and explosive lovemaking. When she finished, Peter held her against him and kissed the top of her head.
He sighed. “I’m sorry my dick’s so impressive.”
Brandy sat up and slapped him upside the head. “Seriously? That’s all you got out of this?”
“Well—”
Brandy crossed her arms and stared daggers at him, moving away from him and sitting on her legs. Peter’s eyes grew round, and his mouth dropped open.
“Stop! Mercy, mercy! I’m sorry!” he whimpered and cupped his crotch.
She stopped the burning sensation around his crotch and raised a brow.
“Jesus, I was joking… You witches can’t take a fucking joke!”
“Don’t curse at my woman,” Ryan threatened from the open doorway.
Peter grabbed himself, and she faced Ryan. A mix of relief and anger filled her at his presence. She knew without a doubt she was falling for him regardless of how little time had passed, but she refused to let him come in and out of her life like that. Brandy crossed her arms, focusing on her frustration and anger.
“Can I talk to you?” he asked, his eyes filled with remorse.
“Want me to leave, babycakes?” Peter asked, pushing to his feet and crossing his arms, anger pulsating in Ryan’s direction.
She wanted Peter there to keep her resolve. As upset as she was, the need to be held by Ryan was pushing against her defenses.
A wall of fire lifted to Ryan’s chest. It blocked anyone from stepping in or out of the room, which was a safe distance to talk to Ryan and a way to keep Peter there so all their laundry could be aired out. She had not done anything wrong and refused to feel like it any longer.
“You can talk,” Brandy said with a wave of her hand, ignoring the heat building in the room.
Ryan’s eyes moved from them to the bed, a faint question forming as he stared at it a moment too long.
“If you’re going to wonder or accuse, you do it to our faces,” she demanded.
He narrowed his eyes on Peter. “Are you trying to put the moves on my mate?”
“It’s not me she wants, you moron, so no,” Peter snapped.
When he seemed satisfied with Peter’s answer, Ryan turned toward her. “Are you attracted to him?”
“You are a moron. Peter is attractive, but he’s more like a brother.”
&n
bsp; Her answer did not make him happy, but there was no reason to lie. Peter was good looking, but her heart and body wanted Ryan. Only Ryan.
“Let me in,” he said.
“No. You owe us both an apology,” she told him.
Peter huffed. “Hello? I’m right here. You two are being rude.”
“How do you know we’re talking?” Brandy asked.
Peter rolled his eyes. “I’m a werewolf, babycakes. We communicate telepathically, so I’m aware of all the signs.”
Ryan looked from her to Peter. “I’m sorry for trying to squeeze your junk to oblivion. I don’t want you naked around Brandy.” He turned to her next. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry for assuming things and getting jealous.”
Peter huffed again. “What? No ‘I don’t want you naked around Peter’?”
“Shut up!” Ryan and Brandy echoed.
She snuffed out the fire with a flick of her finger. “Thanks, Peter. Can I have a moment with him?”
Peter sighed with relief. “Thanks for not burning down my cabin.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be right outside if you need me, babycakes.”
“Babycakes?” Ryan asked once Peter left the room.
She shrugged. She was not sure where Peter had come up with it, but now she was used to it after nearly two weeks of hanging out with him.
After stepping into the room, Ryan attempted to close the door. “What happened here?”
“I wouldn’t let him in, and he was worried, so he brute-forced his way in.” Brandy sat on the edge of the bed, nervous and relieved to have Ryan back.
He sat next to her and linked their fingers. “I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”
“I refuse to be with someone who flies off the handle when I’m around another man. The only reason Peter was even naked was because he had just come out of his wolf form, something I think you realize deep down inside.”
“I do. I really do trust you two. I wouldn’t have left you to work on your powers with Peter protecting you if I didn’t. Something inside me… I can’t explain it. Then after we came together, it was stronger.”
“So you’re telling me I’m going to lose my fucking mind when a woman approaches you?” she asked with real curiosity.
“Maybe? I don’t know... What I do know is I promise to drop it with Peter.”