My fingers dug into his hips, leaving red splotches on his flesh. “I’m not hurting you, am I?” He flung his head from side to side and sweat flew off the ends, reminding me of a sexy shampoo advertisement.
Our ragged breathing punctuated the air as I pushed Miles up, and he slammed onto my dick. As our bodies came together and my cock filled and thrust into the omega, Miles’ mouth fell open and his head lolled back. I took over, pushing his body up and lifting my hips.
Slick coated our bodies, and Miles mewed as my length penetrated and possessed his channel. I grunted and thrust my hips higher and the omega moaned, “Harder, Charlie.”
But as I got closer to release, I groaned, gasped and panted alongside Miles. His knees gripped my sides while his body took in my length. My fingers grazed his side and he purred under my touch.
“Miles.”
“Yeah,” he wheezed. “Soon.”
“Me too.” I whimpered as I tensed and the omega clenched around my cock. The primeval scent rolled off our bodies, overwhelming me. He hoisted himself up and slumped into me.
His body trembled as my dick plunged into his hole and with one final thrust, bright lights exploded in front of me. I howled and Miles joined me as my seed spurted into him and his cum squirted over my chest.
With one hand on his side, making sure he didn’t topple off, I lay gulping air. When he wriggled his ass, I grabbed him and lay him beside me. I kissed his brow, never wanting to be apart from him again, but was hit with the sudden realization that I had fucked my best friend. Please don’t let this ruin what we have. I wanted Miles as my partner and mate, but wasn’t sure what fate had planned.
Fourteen
December Fourteenth: Miles
My phone buzzing on the floor beside the bed woke me and I fumbled for it. Why did I set my alarm? I worked a half day on Saturday. After checking the time with one eye open, I pulled the covers over me and tried to go back to sleep.
But the memories of waking up on Friday morning in the same place and at the same time filled my head. But yesterday was not a normal day. I’d had a slight headache from too much sugar. Those mince pies were overly sweet.
I closed my eyes and went over the events from the day before.
Yesterday morning, I’d been at ease in a way I hadn’t been in years. I brushed off things that had been bothering me. I was covered in a thick quilt, I was safe, in a community I was growing to love, and though it was mid-winter, I couldn’t wait to get up and go to work. I get to…
There was a grunt in my ear and the bed dipped as someone beside me rolled over and shoved his leg over my hip. What the freaking fuck! I froze as I scrambled through the previous night’s memories, trying to recall what had happened.
Charlie! No. No, not my best friend. I can’t have fucked up the one real friendship I had—apart from Arlo—in the valley. I didn’t glance at him. He might be awake. And staring at me. And waiting for me to say something.
And yet I’d wanted him so badly. I shivered as I recalled him removing my glasses, putting lips on my throat, and his teeth scraping over my skin. He’d nibbled my ear while I moaned and arched my back.
His huge cock had filled me, there’d been warm breath on my dick, his wet tongue lapping the drops of pre-cum from the tip and licking along the length that had me yelling his name. The way my body had accepted him as he slid into me, and the moans and whimpers that erupted from my mouth as he pushed in and out had my body yearning for more.
I’d snuck out of bed and was making coffee when Charlie stumbled into the kitchen.
“Miles.”
Without turning around, I asked, “Coffee?”
“Sure.”
I’d waited while the seconds stretched into a minute as the coffee dripped, one agonizing drip at a time, into the pot. Each plop had me wanting to scream. I strained to hear if he was at the doorway or directly behind me. Would he kiss me on the neck or slide his hands around my waist? Perhaps he was gathering his clothes and hightailing it out the door.
What had I wanted? Sex. I’d hoped and expected and that’s what I got. The best sex I’d ever had.
But in the cold light of day, what I wanted was not to have ruined our friendship. That was a priority. I’d hoped he didn’t view this as a deal breaker. The thought of Charlie disappearing from my life was heartbreaking. Vale Valley was a small place, we couldn’t ignore one another.
And yet coming together with Charlie, having him be inside me, being vulnerable and confident showing him what I wanted, giving him what he needed, was a first for me. My past flitted further away, almost as though it were a dream.
“Coffee’s ready,” I’d shrieked. I shoved the mug at the warlock and had mumbled, “Shower,” as I’d brushed past him. But when I’d raced into the bathroom and leaned on the door, I’d thought, “Shit. Maybe he thinks I was inviting him to shower with me.” I put my ear to the door but the kitchen had been silent.
After running the water, I’d sat on the cold tile floor. I needed to talk to my best friend and yet I’d hidden away, unable to face him.
After showering and dressing, I’d peeked into the kitchen. Charlie was leaning against the counter sipping his coffee. God, I adored that warlock! Shit, there was that pesky love thing rearing its head again. I studied the adorable scruff on his chin that had scratched my cheek last night. It had a hint of… what… auburn in it. Something I’d never noticed before.
The floor creaked under my feet as I’d taken a step.
“You okay, Miles?”
Damn, those old floorboards. “Yeah.”
I’d grabbed my coffee and thrown some down my throat, hoping to avoid more questions.
“You working today?”
“Mmmm,” I’d mumbled.
“I’d better let you get ready.”
Our conversation had reminded me of two acquaintances forced together who both wished they were elsewhere.
“Okay.”
He put the mug on the bench and had glanced at me. Those soulful eyes had held pictures of more than a century of experiences. Based on the nervous twitch in the corner of his mouth and his fingers twiddling with a loose thread on his sweater, he had been grappling with what happened as much as I was.
But as he opened the front door, he’d looked up at the mistletoe and then over his shoulder at me. “We should talk.”
Oh, my God, there weren’t three worse words in the English language. Those were the words of doom!
“Sure.” I’d tried to keep my voice light, but inside, I was crumbling. “I’ll text you.”
I’d checked my phone yesterday at lunch and again on the way home. There were ten messages from Arlo wanting the deets about last night. But there was no way I would share with him before I’d spoken to Charlie.
Instead, I’d sent a brief message. “It’s complicated.” I was churning out one outdated and overused cliché after another. Arlo had returned my messages with a string of emoji.
At home, as I’d eaten leftovers on the couch and attempted to read, the phone sat beside me. I was convinced its blank screen was judging me and I’d poked my tongue at it.
I’d finally given up and thrown the book on the floor. I’d tapped out a message to Charlie. Deleted it. Did another one. Got rid of that too. Tossed the phone away and lay face down on the sofa. I’d kicked my heels and slammed my fists onto the cushions.
Eventually I’d sent a message that read, “I’m home if you want to talk.” I’d added, “Miss you,” but deleted the last two words before I pressed send. With the phone in one hand, I’d poured a glass of wine and waited.
When the message finally came through, I’d been in bed. “It’s late. Let’s talk tomorrow,” it said.
And now it was Saturday afternoon and I hadn’t heard from Charlie again. The agony continued. I couldn’t stand it anymore and went out. Arlo told me when he needed space, he’d have Hugo look after Poppy and he’d hike up the hill to Hugo’s cottage.
While I
doubted the spell checker would welcome me into his former home—assuming he was there—a walk in the fresh air was what I needed. I could shout and scream as I climbed the narrow path up the hill.
It was a clear day, and as I went higher and my muscles strained, I paused and checked out the view overlooking the town. The sun was on the lake and the water glistened. Despite the cool temperature, I was sweating, and a swim after my hike would be the perfect end to the day.
I shaded my eyes against the weak winter sun and studied Hugo’s cottage perched on a rocky outcrop. There was smoke wafting from a chimney but I didn’t need to go any further.
Being outdoors had cleared my head and I was determined to have it out with Charlie. If he wasn’t man enough or wizard enough to sit down with me, he wasn’t the person I thought he was.
But maybe that’s what he was thinking. We had to do this. Both pulling together—or perhaps getting further apart until we could no longer see one another.
And as much as it crushed me, I would tell him if he had regrets about us having sex, in order to save our relationship, we had to go back to being friends. Maybe even take some time apart. These two weeks had been pretty intense.
But as I took a final glance at the cottage, the smoke twisted itself into odd shapes until it became an arrow. It slithered down the slope, and I squinted until it hovered over Charlie’s house.
A movement to my right had me turning and I made out a dark shape in the tree. Was that Charlie’s familiar? Did he do that? If that’s you, Gerald, tell the warlock he needs to speak to me himself. I turned and fled, stumbling and almost tripping over my own feet and into rocks until I was back in the town square.
Fifteen
December Fifteenth: Charlie
I am such a coward. I’d sent Miles a brief message late Friday but nothing yesterday as I’d turned my phone off while I finished work I’d been putting off.
Having sex with Miles was mind-blowing. Before our kiss under the mistletoe, I’d wanted to hold him in my arms, snuggle and talk about the future. That was easier and less confrontational than thinking about us getting naked together.
But that night as our bodies fused along with our sweat and moans, and Miles’ slick coated both of us, I discovered not only pleasure but peace.
But a new day shone its light on the imperfections in our story. I was a wizard who would live at least another two hundred years. I couldn’t bear to have someone else I cared about die, leaving me with unimaginable grief.
And so I did the thing I was best at—I pretended it didn’t exist. But the hours and days since I’d seen Miles was an eternity. Every minute ticked by and was a reminder of how much I was probably hurting him. I buried myself in work, thankful to have something to take my mind off the mess that was my life.
And then a thought occurred to me. Was sleeping with Miles part of the December chaos? Would it have happened in any other month?
I rested my head on the desk and tears dripped onto the keyboard. Whatever caused my wonkiness had possibly made Arlo place the mistletoe over the doorway, and had pushed Miles into sleeping with me. Was none of it real and had I lost my best friend?
Most years, what happened in December was irritating and pissed me off. But it had never done irreparable damage. I slammed my fist on the desk and papers flew into the air and drifted over the room. I shaped a letter into a plane and aimed it at the window. It soared upward before drifting aimlessly to the floor. It’s just a piece of paper.
I was tired of letting things happen to me and I had to take charge. I flung myself out the door, forgetting my coat, and headed to Miles. I’m going to fix this. As I charged along the street, a neighbor’s dog barked, “Better late than never!”
While pounding on Miles’ door, my thoughts were muddled and I had no clear idea of what I was going to propose. I just wanted to see his smile and his eyes dancing. But how likely was that when I’d ignored him for two days?
When the door opened a crack, I was struck by the dark shadows under the omega’s eyes. Without saying anything, I stepped inside but refused to check if the mistletoe was in the same place.
He sat on the sofa and I fell in an armchair opposite. I steepled my fingers as my mind raced. His scent, covering my coat, scarf and gloves from our many outings, enveloped me. But I refused to be enticed. “Miles, none of this is real.”
“Huh?”
I waved a hand in the space between him and me. “Us.”
“What are you on about, Charlie? If you think that fucking me was the worst mistake you ever made, just say it.”
Ouch! His words slapped me across the face. “The night we shared was the best night of my life.”
“Really?” He waved his phone, his knuckles white as they gripped the device. “And that’s why you haven’t been in touch.” His voice rose as his body tensed and his eyes filled with tears.
What have I done?
“Perfectly normal behavior from a perfectly fucking normal wizard!” Miles was shrieking as tears trailed over his cheeks.
Double ouch! But he’s right! I deserved to have my wonky wizard powers called out as well as my repugnant conduct toward the person I cared about most.
“But it’s not you, is it Charlie? It’s the fucking universe or fate that’s the bad guy here. Your feelings and mine aren’t real. An invisible hand is manipulating us.” He collapsed on the couch, face down onto the cushions.
I kneeled beside him. “I suspect if we’d met last month, you would have ignored me. Given me a passing glance and no more.”
“Broken eggs,” the omega reminded me. “We met over broken eggs.”
“Yes, yes.” Not now, Miles. Hear what I’m saying. “That’s not the point.”
“Spell it out for me.”
“I get it. Your joke. Spell it out. A spell.”
He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “It wasn’t… doesn’t matter… go on.”
“The oops factor or wonkiness or lopsidedness may have caused us to have feelings for one another. After Christmas Eve, you might look at me and think, ‘Who is the guy and why did I waste over three weeks on him?’ ”
“Twenty-four days, but who’s counting. And that’s never going to happen.” He sat up and dabbed his eyes with a tissue. “Is that how you see me?”
“Absolutely not. But I don’t want to bond with you and have you regret it ten days later.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” he snorted.
Bonding or regretting? I ignored his outburst. “I’m thinking we shouldn’t see one another for the next…”
“…nine days.”
I’d been counting the remaining time too.
“It’s been amazing. I’ve never felt so alive. Snowmen, Christmas trees, babies who float in the air, toads serenading the hospital patients, but if taking a break can save what we have, I’m all for it. Just don’t tell me it’s not real.”
He paused for breath and I jumped in. “It may not.”
“Listen to yourself, Charlie. You have control of your life, not some magical quirkiness. Just as I did by choosing to leave Jason.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then take it,” Miles yelled. “Seize it and say ‘Fuck you!’”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Sure it is.” He gripped both my shoulders and gritted his teeth. “And if it’s not, we should find out why.”
“We’ve searched the records and Hugo has no memory of this happening before.”
“And what does that tell you?” His fingers pressed into my flesh.
“Ummm.” My eyes flicked back and forth, hoping the answer was scrawled over the walls.
Miles thumped my chest. “It’s you. Something that’s in you.”
I pulled away. “Hey! Are you saying I’m doing this for attention?” Now I was annoyed.
The fury drained from the omega’s eyes. He patted the left side of my chest. “No, Charlie. But we’re all a jumble of our lived exp
eriences. And something about your wonkiness has to do with what’s in here.”
Maybe he’s right. “But surely Hugo or Bedwyr would have worked that out by now.”
“One is your boss and the other is your friend. They obviously care about you, but they have their own lives. Do they know the real Charlie? The one whose family used to go for sleigh rides? Or who had a nanny who guided him through those awkward years when he was developing his magical abilities?”
“I guess not.” I was taking in the omega’s words but also the expressions flitting over his face. The depth of emotion in his eyes, his tense jaw, his flared nostrils and pursed lips all told a story. He has feelings for me. I outstretched my arm but withdrew it.
“Is that the way it’s going to be, Charlie? You wanting to touch me and then deciding against it. Fuck everything. I care about you and I hope you feel the same way.” He placed a hand over his heart. “I have no doubt about what is in here. It’s not some bullshit spell or fake whatever.”
He took my hand and placed it on his. We stood in silence while I counted the beats as his heart thumped against my palm. He took my other hand and put it on the left side of my chest. Our hearts were beating in tandem. “Are you going to throw everything away because you’re scared?”
I’d lived a huge part of my life thinking I could never measure up to the witching community. To my long dead family. To my Valley friends. “Yes. I’ve been frightened I’m not good enough.”
Miles pushed strands of hair from my face. I half hoped he’d say something but he left it up to me. Smart man! “But I am. Good enough. And you’ve helped me see that which is weird because I can’t see the future.”
“Your wonkiness is part of you. Stop hating it and embrace it, Charlie.”
“It’ll be a while.” I took a deep breath. “But I have a proposal.”
The omega’s eyes grew wide and he stuttered, “I-I d-didn’t…”
But I placed a hand over his lips. “Stop.” His eyes searched mine. “I’m terrified that everything will change on Christmas Day, but I’m trying to believe in us. I suggest we continue learning about each other and exploring the Valley. But no more sex.”
Witching You a Merry Christmas Page 7