Something was missing here—Jason could feel it. “So he helped you. What does it matter?”
She pushed away, and her wings fluttered behind her back. “You don’t understand. If the Council finds out that he’s been messing with my cases, I’ll lose my position as a Fairy Godmother.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“Yes!” She put her hands on her hips. “I’ll be banished!”
“Again, would that be so bad?” As much as he tried, Jason really wasn’t seeing a downside to this.
She looked into his eyes, her cheeks blushing, and she stroked his face. “It’s one thing to retire, to leave the Fairy Realm in dignity. But being banished? Not only would I lose my abilities, but any child, hell, any grandchild, would never be allowed to be a fairy.”
He took her hands. “That’s pretty strict.”
She sighed. “And with all the attention this case has gotten, I’m sure the Fairy Council is already looking into my records. There will probably be a trial, and I’ll wind up at the mercy of the Fairy Council.”
“So they banish you, then?”
“Or whatever they think would be the worst for me. They could decide not to banish me, just put me on house arrest for the rest of my days. It all depends on what they find. If they find what Duncan found, then that’s it. I’m screwed. Cupid’s flat ruined my life.”
“Is there some way you can redeem yourself?”
“I don’t know.” She ran a hand over her face, wiping away more tears. “The shitty thing? All this time, I thought I was good. Did it differently—which isn’t exactly smiled upon, all this talking to my charges and stuff—but I always came out on top.” She covered her stomach, like she was about to hurl. “But it only worked because he shot arrows into my charges.” She pulled her knees to her chest, and with a jerk of her shoulders, the wings wrapped around her.
Jason reached forward, caressing the ubersoft feathers. “So why does he care? Didn’t sound like he held fairies in high regard.” Jason remembered the conversation he’d heard the other day. How furious Ava had been, and that sick feeling he’d gotten in his stomach when Cupid had talked about the simplicity of influencing fairies.
Ava shrugged and wiped away a fresh tear. “He doesn’t. Hell, he shot me with one of his potions.”
“How do you know?”
She leaned forward, a feather brushing her cheek. “Remember that night at the coffee shop? And we had to switch drinks?”
“Yeah?”
“And when I got all sick?”
“Sure. I thought you were diabetic or something.”
“It was the antidote.”
Jason shook his head, wondering if he’d ever see this god—who has no regard for anyone—again. Because he might very well punch the guy in the nose.
Ava continued. “It’s my own fault for not realizing it, I guess. I should have known that the attraction I had for that so-called god didn’t make sense, because otherwise, he drove me nuts.”
He didn’t like knowing that she’d been with another guy. Any guy. Especially Cupid. Got those primal hunter instincts revving. “You said yourself you have a weakness for the wrong guy.”
She smirked, and he wondered if she noticed the slow-boiling primal desire he had for her starting to come alive.
“Never has it been so prevalent than right now.” She uncurled her wings and leaned back into him.
He stroked her hair, savoring the smell of her. “Why?”
“Because, in all the years I’ve been around Cupid, with that attraction I couldn’t quite explain, and even meeting new people, I’ve never felt as strongly for any particular man than I feel for you.” She stroked his chest. “It’s so much more.”
“If I like you, and you like me, then why aren’t you listed in the file as my Happily Ever After?”
“That’s why I know it’s wrong. I’d be there, in the file.”
“I thought you said you’d get kicked out if you were with a mortal.”
“It’s different. If it’s in the file, then it’s meant to be.”
“Can they be changed?”
“Only by the actions of the charge. His or her choices will influence the HEAs in the file.”
“Actions, huh?” He tipped her head back, an idea brewing. If his choices made the file change…
“What are you thinking?” Ava whispered. Though, as their faces got closer and closer, his answer became more and more obvious.
“Hunch,” Jason said, and their lips crashed together. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and their kiss deepened. He fell backwards and pulled her down with him. Her wings spread over the two of them like a blanket, and she pressed her hips into his as their legs tangled.
His hands slid over her, stroking her sides, her hips, cupping her ass. As their kissing deepened, she spread her legs, straddling him.
Jason moaned and pressed his hips into her. She sighed and started kissing his throat. He ground his hips into hers as she tasted him, their bodies dry humping in perfect rhythm. He thought he might explode.
Her hands slid down his sides, sliding up the shirt he wore until her fingers tickled his skin. Jason pushed her back, just enough to yank the shirt out of the way.
“Now that, I like,” she said, running her fingers over his bare chest. She traced the lines of his pecs. Jason stayed still as she explored him, savoring the simple sensation. She caressed his arms, and one of her fingers traced the tribal tattoo on his bicep.
“Interesting tattoo,” she said, and placed a kiss on it.
“I was y-young. It was the nineties,” Jason said.
“I like how it curves.”
Jason thought she was going to trace it with her finger.
Nope. She traced it with her tongue.
“Holy hell,” he muttered. As she moved, the edges of her wings brushed against him, sending strange tingles through him.
She kissed her way back to his throat, then met his lips again. He held her tight, his hands on her back, trying to find a zipper—an opening for the wings, something—so he could feel her. Touch her skin.
Desire fought hard inside him, wanting to be unleashed, but he had to hold back. Because if he didn’t stop himself now, he might do something she’d regret.
Pulling back from this amazing woman was the hardest thing he’d done. He pushed her off him, just enough that he could see her eyes.
Because he couldn’t let his need overtake his common sense.
“Wait, Ava. Wait.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her eyes wide, and she looked very frail all of a sudden. Far different from the motorcycle-riding girl he’d met a few days ago.
“I have to stop you. Because if I don’t now, I won’t be able to.”
“Why do you want to stop? Did I do something wrong?” She gritted her teeth. “It’s the wings. I can make them—”
He pressed a finger over her lips. “I couldn’t give a fuck about your wings. I want to be sure that you don’t have any doubts. My control’s on a hair’s trigger, sweetheart, and if—”
She stopped him with a kiss. “I want this.”
“Good.”
With a wave of her hand, the bodysuit she wore disappeared.
Revealing nothing.
Nothing but bare skin. Soft, pale skin.
Holy hell. He might have died and gone to heaven. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, her lips parted, her eyes dark with desire.
Jason had to touch her. He ran his hands over her stomach, feeling her waist, her hips, her ribs, then up to the sides of those amazing breasts he’d been dreaming of touching without any barrier between them. He ran his hands over the swells, his thumbs teasing the nipples, and Ava arched into his hands.
He ground his hips into hers,
making her buck. He ran one hand down her stomach to her center, and started caressing that little zone, and she bucked harder.
So hard she fell forward, a grin on her face.
“Have you ever been blown by a fairy?”
“Nope.”
She reached in between them and cupped his cock through the shorts. Bridging, he helped her slide the shorts off until he was as bare as she was. Their bodies bumped as she moved down him, pressing kisses on his belly, until she reached her prize.
She started to tease, playing with his cock with her fingers. Then her tongue started to explore, and he about lost it right then and—
Okay, right then…
He groaned, rocked his hips into her. She sighed, taking him deeper inside her mouth.
Oh God…
“Ava,” he managed to groan. He put his hands on her face and pulled her away.
“Hey,” she said with a pout, “I wasn’t done with that.”
“Believe me, baby. You’re done. I got much better plans.” He pulled her to him and they started to kiss. Her tongue slid against his, and he groaned when he felt her hips and her girl parts slide over his cock.
He started to rise, gently guiding Ava upright.
“Oh no,” she said, “I’m having fun with this.” She reached between them, grabbed his cock and impaled herself, letting out a cry as she did.
Jason muffled a curse. He’d never felt anything like that before. Tight. Deep. Fit him like a glove.
Her wings fluttered as she slowly rolled her hips against his.
Up on his elbows, Jason matched her slow pace, pushing back into her, and moaned as she kept control. All he wanted to do was slam into her with everything he had, but this was all her. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman was so much in charge of him.
He liked it.
A lot.
Her eyes glazed over in desire and her hair fell over her shoulders—even her wings pumped against him. It was like an erotic fantasy painting come to life.
Her tempo increased, and her body started to shudder, the wings stretching out to their full width, the feathers spreading like long fingers. One side of her wings stuck out from under the gazebo, the rain hitting the feathers.
She cried out, and her insides contracted around Jason, squeezing him in all the right ways.
Yeah…oh yeah. This.
When she stopped squeezing him, she fell forward, her skin damp.
He ran his hand down her side. “Feeling better?”
“I’m good,” she said. “And you—oh…” She put her hand between them and felt how hard he still was.
As fun as that was, now it was time for Jason to have a little fun as well. “I have a question.”
“What’s that?”
He rolled her back a bit. “If I throw you on your back and fuck the shit out of you, will it hurt your wings?”
She gulped.
“Will it?”
“Um, uh, no. I, uh…I can uh…”
He didn’t give her time to spit out whatever it was she was trying to say. He rolled her over, positioning himself between her legs, stretching those amazing legs onto his shoulders, and he shoved into her.
She cried out. He groaned.
And it was on.
He slammed into her with all he had, and she cried out, her arms at her sides, gripping the edges of the wings like she was holding on. She made heady noises with every thrust. Each sound went straight to his arousal, tensing everything in all the right ways.
He felt her starting to squeeze again. It propelled him faster toward his own explosion. She came first, shattering around him.
About to explode, Jason had an attack of conscience.
He jerked out of her just before coming. Thanked his lucky stars he’d had a tiny bit of rationality left in his brain, before getting a fairy pregnant.
Ava popped her head up. “What happened?”
“I didn’t—no condom.”
She blinked at him. And a big grin spread over her face. “Oh, Jason, humans can’t get fairies pregnant!”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sunday Morning
Ava stretched her arms and her wings. She glanced over her shoulder to steal a glimpse of Jason—bedroom rock god. And with that sexy tattoo on his arm, the sex appeal jumped a notch.
She probably could get his attention…
No, let the man rest.
He’d been very, very busy all night. It took two attempts to actually make it to the bedroom, and once they were there, Jason revealed he had a bit of kink, which she liked.
She rubbed her wrists, noticing that the little marks were starting to disappear.
I must get him some padded handcuffs.
She should feel guilty.
Hugely.
Monumentally guilty for sleeping with her charge.
But she didn’t.
Maybe a few days ago, she would have. But not now. Talking with him before, back in the gazebo, she’d realized that regardless of how things turned out, she was going to lose her Fairy Godmother standing.
Once it got out that Cupid had helped her cases and had been sleeping with her? She was hosed. No way around it.
She could play victim—play up the whole he-drugged-me angle, but, really, what good would it do? Ava still agreed to his advances. Potion or not, she could have resisted, at least tried, anyway.
She just hoped it didn’t get horribly messy when it all came out. That her fellow fairies wouldn’t be dragged down because of her bad choices.
Looking around the bedroom, she expected Duncan to show up at any time, tell her how she was being a bad girl who was in serious trouble.
But so far, no Duncan.
She felt a tug at her wing.
“Feeling better?” Jason asked.
She nodded. “It’s amazing what some really awesome sex will do for your attitude.”
He sat up and tried to slide an arm around her from behind, but couldn’t.
“Sorry, I can tuck them in,” Ava said.
“Doesn’t matter,” Jason said. He climbed off the bed and came around to face her. Leaned over and kissed her, pushing her back down onto the bed. He covered her, and their legs dangled off the edge of the bed. “This works too.”
She smirked. “You don’t mind the wings?”
He shrugged. “They are part of you. I grant you, they do take some finagling around.” He pressed a kiss on her lips. “But I can deal with it.”
Tears filled her eyes. It shouldn’t have been a big thing, Jason not minding her wings, but it was. A completely, hugely massive thing that touched her so deeply it startled her. Cupid had always made her feel less than worthy because of her wings. He never wanted to see them.
To think a male wouldn’t mind them…
“What is this?” Jason asked, stroking a rogue tear that slid down her cheek.
She shook her head.
He touched her chin. “Ava?”
“You don’t mind my wings.”
He shrugged in this exaggerated way. “Well, you know, if I gotta…”
She grinned. “Ass.”
He winked and ran his hand over her shoulder, then touched the wing, stroking the top of it.
She smiled, watching. “So what do you want to do today?”
“It’s Sunday. I have no plans.” He continued playing with the edge of the wing.
“Sounds like fun.”
After another rather interesting game of bed sport, Ava and Jason dressed, and she dragged him to a diner she knew.
“I have always wanted to try some food here,” Ava said. The diner, done in a 50s retro theme, smelled of all those amazing American dishes that made Ava’s stomach growl as soon as she walked in the door.
“I’ve n
ever noticed this place before,” Jason said as they took a seat on a metallic-green vinyl booth. A small jukebox sat on the table, but when Ava pressed a few buttons, no music came out.
“How’d you find out about this place?” Jason asked as he pulled a menu from behind the jukebox. He handed one to Ava and took one for himself.
“One of my old charge’s grandkids opened the place. The food smelled amazing, and I always wanted to check it out.”
“You keep track of your charges after you’re done?”
She shrugged. “I don’t have a spreadsheet of family trees or anything.” She looked away when she spoke because, well, she just might be lying.
“You don’t?”
“Okay, so I do… I just like to know that they’re all doing okay.” She waved her hand. “Besides, this place is cute.”
He nodded. “You just want to support.”
“Exactly.”
“So why haven’t you?” Jason asked.
She shrugged. “Didn’t want to go by myself.”
He smiled. “Well, I am happy to accompany you.”
A waitress came up and they ordered their food—eggs for Jason, a burger for Ava. The waitress brought their drinks as they visited.
“So how did you…” Jason asked, waving his hand as he spoke.
“My parents were…” She let the words hang in the air, and he nodded. “When I was of age, I was given a choice. I could follow in their footsteps, or I could have a normal life.”
“How old were you when you picked this?”
“Twenty. Then I trained for fifteen years.”
“Wow. That’s serious training.”
“It’s part of the path. You have to, for one, be sure. Because it’s a very long job. So training takes a while. And two, some people may not be cut out for it.” The words were heavy, and, again, frustration filled her over Cupid’s meddling in her work. Yet if Cupid’s interference had been revealed years ago, she wouldn’t be here with Jason.
And Jason was the only good thing about this coming to light now. Because if her sentence was banishment, at least—well, maybe—she’d be able to spend more time with him. If he wanted her around, that is.
She hoped he would. After all, they were rather compatible—at least in the bedroom.
Just His Taste Page 13