Her heart still drumming wildly, her body drained, yet humming with aftershocks of her release.
Never had she felt anything like it.
Never had she imagined it would be so…satisfying.
She could become addicted, fast. Finally, she understood why her sisters enjoyed men and encouraged her to.
He lifted his head. His red eyes enveloped her. Their bodies still tangled. He laced his fingers through her hair. A surge of emotions threatened to overwhelm her.
“Sweetheart.”
“Was that…did I…” Her face heated. She had to ask though. Part of her still couldn’t believe it. The other part of her—confused.
“Yes, you did.”
“But we didn’t…”
He smiled. “I know.”
“Is that possible or am I…”
“There’s nothing wrong with you.”
Perhaps she shouldn’t ask him these questions. He’d think she was stupid and inexperienced. Though naive, she didn’t want him to know that.
She didn’t know a thing about sex, and didn’t men prefer women who knew how to pleasure them? How could she ever give that to him?
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head.
“Trust me.” He kissed her, sweetly. His fingers massaging her scalp, she caved.
“I don’t know anything about…sex. I’ll never be able to pleasure you—”
His eyes widened. The red dissolved instantly. “You did. Bringing you to pleasure, pleasures me.”
“That’s sweet, but—”
“Val, it’s the truth.” He grinned. “Some would say I have an unfair advantage.”
Her jaw dropped. How had she not thought of it? He felt her release, of course, he had. See? Unfair advantage.
Still, it wasn’t the same. Right? Would he be disappointed when they had sex?
“Having you near gratifies me more than you’ll ever realize. What we just did, it was beautiful, meaningful, better than anything I’ve ever experienced with a woman. I love you.”
He spoke with so much emotion, her heart urged her to believe, but her pessimistic mind wouldn’t budge, reminding her he’d spoken as convincingly to the woman he loved and lost, reminding her one day, she’d lose him for he wasn’t hers to keep.
Oh God, she was way in over her head, head over heels in love with him.
She smiled.
Cupping her cheek, he said, “I didn’t do it because you were jealous.”
She stilled.
“I wanted to do it. I’ve wanted to do it for a while. I was giving you time to get used to you and me and Annie.”
His fingers caressed her cheek. “You believe me?”
“Yes.”
He kissed her, then suddenly drew away. “Annie…” The features in his face hardened, his face paled.
“She’s sleeping—”
“Yeah, but we weren’t quiet. What if she heard?”
She shook her head. “I created a sound barrier when you were mad in case you screamed.”
“What if she’s awake and we can’t hear her—”
She chuckled, shaking her head. “It blocks noise from reaching her, not the other way around.”
He relaxed. Still, his demeanor never recouped. It shifted from worry to grief, his eyes speaking volumes of sadness. The need to console him spurned, knotting her stomach.
“I’m losing her.”
“No, you aren’t.”
He looked away from her. “They’ll never let me keep her. I have a reputation.”
She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling his face to meet hers. The intimacy of the action came as natural as breathing and confounded her. “No, you won’t lose her. I won’t let it happen.”
She didn’t know what she’d do, but she knew with certainty no one would take Annie.
Valerie would fight with her last breath.
Chapter 24
The heat of Jake’s gaze jolted her. She shivered. Her gaze snapped to him, over Annie’s head, nestled between them holding both their hands.
All showered and dressed but barefoot, Jake wore a collared, button-down sky blue shirt, Annie in a beautiful white frilly dress, and she in a yellow sundress. Their shoes in hand, feet buried in the sand, walking to a fancy steakhouse off the beach not a mile away from their hotel.
It had been three days since she learned what it felt like to orgasm, three days since she’d become seriously addicted. She couldn’t get enough, and he knew it, too. He didn’t throw it in her face, and he wasn’t conceited, but it made her feel uneasy. Uneasy since she had yet to give him what he gave her. Yes, technically, he felt her release, but it wasn’t his release. She tried, even told him she wanted to, but he insisted he wasn’t in a rush and they had time. He insisted he could wait until she was sure. When she insisted she was, he said, “Waiting a few days won’t hurt.” His ability to wait while she could barely wait until they were alone made her think she felt more for him than he did for her. Maybe it wasn’t about that, though. Maybe he knew she probably wouldn’t satisfy him like he could her. (She was a virgin, after all.) With the risk of sounding desperate, she hadn’t pushed it, hadn’t brought it up again.
Val spared a glance at Annie, who happily held both their hands. Her gaze then went back to Jake. His held hers for a brief moment before they darted to her bare shoulder, then trailed toward her backside. Her cheeks flushed. The image of Jake bare-chested, positioned above her, the feel of his hands on her body, and the masculine taste of him on her tongue flickered through her mind. She shook her head. She had to stop.
“Jake.” She meant to make it sound like a warning; instead, it came out breathless.
His eyes glowed.
She shook her head. “Stop it,” she mouthed.
He chuckled. “Your fault.”
Her fault? What the hell had she done?
Annie released their hands and ran away. Like a bucket of cold water drenched her, her desire cooled, panic taking hold. She fought the urge to run after Annie at immortal speed, conscious of the scattered mortals around them.
“Annie!” They screamed in unison.
Hearing her name, Annie turned, then stumbled and fell to her knees. Her eyes grew wide, and tears welled. Jake’s long powerful strides allowed him to reach Annie before she did. He kneeled and checked her for injuries. She reached them and kneeled beside Jake. Annie had landed on something hard on the sand, one of her knees scraped and bled.
“Pupa, are you okay?”
“It hurts.”
Valerie placed her hands over her knee and whispered a spell to help ease the pain.
“Thank you, Val,” Annie whispered.
“Annie.” Jake’s anger spilled from him. “Don’t ever do that again. There’s—”
Seeing Annie’s eyes widen, her brows drawing together, Val spoke over him. “What your uncle means is you scared us running off like that. There are bad people who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt you, Annie.”
She pointed toward a beach hut. Outside, t-shirts with funny slogans hung across a bar. “I’m sorry, but I wanted to see the store. Please, don’t be mad at me.” Her gaze shot to Jake.
He rubbed his hand over his face. “No, pupa, I’m not mad, just…you scared me.” In one swift movement, he lifted her and headed toward the small store front. Valerie trailed behind.
“What do you want?”
She buried her face in his chest. “I don’t deserve it. I was bad.”
Jake turned and handed Annie to her. Annie wrapped her arms around her neck, her legs around her waist, then buried her face in her neck like Jake often did. Jake headed into the store and out of sight.
“Of course, you deserve it.” She rubbed her back. “Annie, you just scared your uncle, but he isn’t mad. You know he isn’t.”
Annie’s round, dark eyes met hers. “What about you? Do you still love me?”
“That’s a silly question. Of course, I still love you, and I’ll always love you.”
She peeked inside. A big smile spread across her lips. “The pink bow…” she mumbled. “Thank you, Uncle Jake.”
He kissed her forehead. “You deserve this and much more.” He removed the pink bow from the bag. Like a pro, he grabbed some of her hair and tied it back.
“You’re getting good at that.”
He grinned.
“You are,” Annie agreed.
They reached the restaurant and were directed to their table by a slender male mortal. The mortal reached for a chair and held it out for Valerie. Then, from one second to the next, his face paled. She noticed his gaze widen, focusing on something behind her. Turning, she spotted Jake’s glare. Embarrassed, she meant to intervene, but before she could, Jake took a menacing step in the mortal’s direction and snarled, “Booster. Chair.”
Hard to miss. Hard for anyone at the tables near them to miss. And they hadn’t. Everyone loved a good show. Their attention now rested on her, Jake, and Annie. Feeling her cheeks flaming, she pulled Annie to her side, ignored the looks, and Jake, too. She sat and placed Annie on her lap momentarily. Annie turned her attention toward her, then Jake. In no time, the mortal returned with the booster seat, and Jake helped Annie sit.
Valerie took a deep breath. “Thank you.”
“What did you do, Uncle Jake?”
Crap! She should’ve realized Annie would know. Amazing how even after a week she forgot things like that. Who could blame her though? It was hard to always hide how you felt. She needed to be more careful when she was annoyed or embarrassed or mad.
“I didn’t…”
“You did. Val’s mad.”
Too busy trying to not be mad, she didn’t look at either of them.
“It’s okay. Mommy and Daddy used to fight sometimes. Usually because Daddy was…” She paused. “…possessive,” though it sounded more like “po-se-sif.”
Valerie’s head shot up. “Mommy told you that?”
Annie nodded. “Uh huh, I don’t know what it means, but she used to say it a lot when she was mad. She called him a ‘possessive demon.’”
Valerie could’ve laughed, but her thoughts didn’t let her. Annie’s parents were mated—destined for each other. The closest thing to “love at first sight,” finding one’s mate. It came as no surprise her father had been possessive of her mother. She’d heard immortal males couldn’t help it, but she wasn’t Jake’s mate. She couldn’t understand why another male, an employee at a restaurant at that, holding out her chair would anger him. It was the man’s job, for God sake. Jake was being overly…possessive when there was no reason to be. She wasn’t his fated. He would’ve confessed by now having had multiple occasions to do so. Although her heart leapt each time he told her he loved her, she didn’t believe it. He couldn’t. He didn’t know her.
“What does it mean, Val?”
Annie’s question drew her from her thoughts. “It’s when someone is too protective…in a bad way.”
Jake’s jaw went slack, but he didn’t have time to respond. The waitress approached them, took their drink orders then left. Intent on avoiding him, her gaze darted to her menu.
“I thought protecting someone meant you loved them,” Annie commented.
“It does, but sometimes there’s no need to be protected.”
“I get it, now. One time, Mommy and Daddy and me, we went shopping and a man held the door open for Mommy and Daddy said the f-word and Mommy got mad.”
“Maybe the man was looking at Mommy the wrong way, and Daddy was trying to protect Mommy,” Jake pointed out.
Taking a deep breath, she plastered on a fake smile. “Or maybe the man was being polite or maybe it was his job to hold open the door,” she explained to Annie, patiently.
The waitress interrupted, setting their drinks on the table, and took their orders. Valerie barely glanced at the menu and ordered the first thing she saw, the filet.
“Two filets and the grilled sirloin from the kid’s menu. For sides, we’ll have the lobster mac and cheese and fries. And we’ll start off with two cheese soups and the clams. Thanks.”
Annie giggled. Valerie couldn’t help but follow. “Uncle Jake eats a lot.”
The warmth of his palm pressed against hers. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Pure heated desire ran through her. She remembered his lips on hers and how it felt when his mouth trailed down her neck toward her breasts. Heat pooled in the pit of her stomach.
She pushed those thoughts aside. No time for any of that. She fought to keep her face blank and eyed him curiously. His way of apologizing? Probably not. He didn’t look the least bit sorry for what he did.
It didn’t matter, not right at that moment. He’d embarrassed her, but he meant well, hadn’t he? It was sweet in an overly possessive type of way. Oh God, did she really feel that way, or was it because he held her hand in his with his lips pressed to her palm?
The appetizers served first, Jake insisted she and Annie try the soup. Trying the clams, she hesitated. She’d never been a fan of them, but the alpha male who had her at his mercy wouldn’t take no for an answer. He brought it to her lips. She couldn’t refuse. Delicious, but she thought that had more to do with the fact that when he fed them to her, her tongue lapped his finger. His face hardened. His jaw clenched.
Pure heated desire. She read it in his beautiful dark eyes. Knowing she wasn’t the only one affected, she smiled.
The entrees served, they ate, and Annie talked. By the time the waitress served dessert, Valerie could barely move. Jake shoved a forkful of chocolate cake in her mouth anyway. Some of it got on her face bringing Annie to giggles. He ever so tenderly wiped it away with his finger.
When Jake paid, they left in time to watch a fireworks show on the beach. They picked a spot, and sat on the sand, cuddled close. Jake legs open, Annie in between, settled against his chest, and she tucked under his arm, resting her head on his shoulder.
The fireworks display began with a bang and seemed endless. By far the most impressive Valerie had ever seen. The best part: Annie loved it. Her beautiful dark eyes round with glee, she smiled ear to ear. Wearing her new pink bow, she pointed and oohed and awed.
Sparing a glance at Jake, she noticed his gaze, too, fixated on Annie.
The perfect picture.
The most perfect moment.
Her gaze darted from one to the other. She realized she felt something she’d never truly felt before—complete.
Foolish and absurd, yes, she met them barely a month ago, but she couldn’t help it. She may be temporary in their lives, but she didn’t feel like they were temporary in hers.
Her eyes welled. She looked away from them and toward the display of lights in the sky.
Not a moment later, she felt the heat of Jake’s gaze. Leaning into her, he whispered, “Look at me, sweetheart.”
She shook her head, knowing staring into the deep depths of his eyes she’d lose hold of her tears.
“Look at me…Please.”
She caved and looked. His eyes soft and tender, looking at her like…like she was the only woman in the world. It filled her with belonging anew, reminding her what she’d tried to bury in the back of her mind—how scared she was, scared of losing all of this beauty.
He pressed his lips to hers. “I know, sweetheart. I feel it, too.”
She blinked. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Despite what he said, she knew he couldn’t possibly feel what she felt.
She felt…
Oh, God. She loved him.
Truly. Madly. Deeply.
She was undeniably, intensely, and profoundly in love with a demon whose touch could soothe her as easily as it enticed her.
And she loved Annie.
>
It spelled disaster for her.
Her fear had become reality. She’d fallen for a man she didn’t belong to. Once he found his mate, she’d lose him—and Annie.
Right then, she didn’t have the strength to care, not while he looked at her like she was his everything.
Her life had been a series of losses. Her parents abandoning her before she was old enough to realize what it meant, then she lost her coven. Now, she stood to lose Jake and Annie.
But before then, she’d enjoy them all she could. When they were gone, she’d have dozens of memories to live her life off.
No regrets.
Moments later, the fireworks showcase ended. Heading back to their hotel, Annie’s excitement dwindled. The long day had caught up to her. Jake carried her. Not long after, Annie fell fast asleep.
Valerie felt Jake gazing at her every so often but fought the instinct to look his way.
As they entered the pool area at the hotel the silence stretched, so she said, “This whole trip has been…the best. Thank you for letting me share it with you both.”
“I didn’t let you. You belong.”
Riding the elevator, getting off their floor, they entered their hotel suite. Jake laid Annie in her bed, removing her shoes. Valerie followed close behind. After Jake tucked her in, she sat on the edge of the bed, kissed Annie’s forehead, and whispered, “Goodnight, sweetie.”
Reluctantly, she left. Outside the bedroom door, she found Jake, leaning against the wall, looking every bit the demon he was. He didn’t allow her a word, materializing inches from her.
“The spell.” His breaths came out in spurts.
What?
“The sound one…do it, please.”
She held the power. Her choice. She could refuse, then nothing more would happen between them.
She couldn’t. For all fate had taken from her, she would enjoy this—him, ignoring her fears. If it lasted another day, another week, another century, she’d relish it.
She flicked her wrist, muttered the spell.
His handsome features hardened. “You want me. I need you.” He said it, but doubt lingered in his tone. “Tell me.”
Want? She craved him. Days ago, she was ready for all of him. He was the one who wanted to wait.
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