Loving the Genie
By
Dee J. Stone
Copyright © 2015 Dee J. Stone.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to real life, movies, television, games, or books is entirely coincidental and was not intended by the author.
Titles by Dee J. Stone:
Young Adult Superhero Series:
No Ordinary Hero (Keepers of Justice, Book 1)
Hero’s Revenge (Keepers of Justice, Book 2)
Hero Reborn (Keepers of Justice, Book 3)
No Ordinary Villain (Keepers of Justice, Book 4)
Young Adult Romance:
Cruiser (Cruiser & Lex, Book 1)
Second Chance (Cruiser & Lex, Book 2)
Forever (Cruiser & Lex, Book 3)
Chasing Sam
Young Adult Paranormal:
Emily’s Curse
Paranormal Romance:
Merman’s Kiss (Merman’s Kiss, Book 1)
Merman’s Touch (Merman’s Kiss, Book 2)
Merman’s Bond (Merman’s Kiss, Book 3)
Falling for the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 1)
Loving the Genie (Genie’s Love, Book 2)
Email the author at [email protected].
For updates on new releases, follow Dee J. Stone on Facebook and Twitter.
Loving the Genie
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Excerpt from No Ordinary Hero
Excerpt from Merman’s Kiss
About the Author
Chapter One
I’m never going to leave you.
Those six words wrap around my heart, soothing me as though I’m encased in a cloud. I can still feel Sebastian’s soft breath tickling my ear, the way it had when he came back from his home world last night. The way his strong arms held me and his warm lips made their way down my throat. I tangled my hands in his hair, pulling him closer and showing him everything I felt through the kiss. I don’t think I can ever get enough of this man who has stolen my heart, body, and soul.
The sunlight seeping in through the window shines on me, but I keep my eyes shut, enjoying the last few seconds of sleep. Reaching to the left side of my bed for my genie—who’s technically no longer one but will always be my genie—I find empty space. My eyes shoot open and I look around. Sebastian’s not in my room.
“Sebastian?” I ask.
Climbing out of bed, I search all over my apartment. He’s not here. I call his name a few more times, but there’s no response.
My heart skips a beat as a thought runs around in my head. That it was a dream, that Sebastian never returned.
No, that can’t be. I remember clearly how he stood outside Inferno— the restaurant where I work as a waitress—with a confused expression on his face. His skin wasn’t golden but peach, just like mine. His eyes looked lost. He didn’t recognize me. Then I kissed him and everything came back. He held me close, promising he’d never leave me again.
After searching my apartment another time, I realize it’s useless. My genie is gone.
My heart feels heavy and empty at the same time. Lying back down in my bed, I whisper, “Sebastian.” Losing him a second time hurts ten times more than the first one. Because I chose to wish him back to his home, Ortarus, so he could reunite with his younger sister, who was trapped as a servant girl in the king’s palace. Now that he left suddenly, my heart’s going to shatter into tiny pieces.
“Sebastian,” I repeat, my voice barely audible, “please come back.”
He said we’d be together forever. That he has nothing left in Ortarus. Had he been taken? Forced back home?
I squish one of my teddy bears to my chest. My sister Daisy got it for me last year. She knew how much I love collecting them. She was a year older than me and died four months ago in a car accident. My mother shut down, tossing me out of her life. If not for Sebastian encouraging me to try to amend my relationship with my mom, we’d still be strangers.
He had been sent to this world as a genie hundreds of years ago because he was accused of killing the prince of Ortarus. The prince had been taking advantage of Sebastian’s sister, and when Sebastian went to confront him, things got a little out of hand and the prince was killed. Sebastian’s punishment was to serve humans as a genie. My last wish was to absolve him of his crime, and he was sent back home. But because my wish changed the past in Ortarus, his sister Renaya was the one who killed the prince. She took her own life before sentence could be passed on her.
Had Sebastian been taken back home to pay for his sister’s crime? Is he being tortured?
Shutting my eyes, I let myself remember how silky his lips were as they brushed against mine. How his breathing grew heavy when my fingers roamed over his chest. From his eyes, I saw how much love he had for me.
And now he’s gone. I may never see him again.
I picture him slipping into bed next to me, slinging his arm over me and cuddling close. “Lily,” he says softly, his fingers brushing my cheek. “You have no idea how much you mean to me.”
I don’t open my eyes because once I do, this wonderful fantasy will be over and real life will crash over me like a ton of bricks. Instead, I rest my head on his chest, feeling his muscles, his smooth skin.
“Lily.” His hand cups my cheek. “I love you.” His lips sweep against mine before moving to my ear, where he whispers, “Forever.”
“Stay,” I murmur, feeling for his shoulders, then clutching them. I still refuse to open my eyes. “Don’t leave me.”
His lips are back on mine. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says between kisses. “Promise.”
“No.” I push against his chest. “You did.”
“I’m here,” he says. “Open your eyes and see for yourself.”
I take in a deep breath and slowly open my eyes. Sebastian is lying beside me with a sweet smile on his lips. His skin is as it was last night. His black hair falls into his deep, blue eyes.
Reaching up, I touch his cheek. I expect him to disappear, but he doesn’t. He’s as real as I am. I fling my arms around him. “You’re here.”
He buries his nose in my face, popping small kisses on my temple.
I sit up. “You weren’t here when I woke up. I thought…I thought you went back home.”
He shakes his head, stroking my hair. “I told you I’m never going to leave
you.” He rubs the back of his neck, his eyes apologetic. “I woke up early. Guess I was excited to be human. I didn’t want to wake you, so I took a walk outside.” His eyes dip to his naked chest. He’s only wearing black pants, the same clothes he wore when he was a genie. His entire body used to be golden, but now is the same shade as mine. He laughs sheepishly. “I didn’t realize walking without a shirt on would cause people to stare.”
“We’ll have to get you some clothes.”
He nods. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
My arms go around his neck and I press myself closer to him, wanting to fuse our bodies into one. My lips skim over his, slow at first, but then our kissing grows stronger, rougher, as though we haven’t kissed in years. I love how he makes me feel, how my body shudders. I don’t want to ever lose this.
We snuggle together in bed. I can still smell his exotic genie smell, even though he isn’t one anymore. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.
“How was your walk?” I ask.
“Lonely. I want to experience everything with you.” His eyes search mine. “Is that okay?”
I smile, taking his hand. He’s been human for less than a day. I can’t wait to see his eyes light up as he interacts with our world. When he was a genie, only I was able to see him. Now that he’s human, he can meet other people. He can grow as a person. We can have a future.
“Of course it is,” I tell him. “What would you like to do first?”
“Taste your delicious food.”
My heart thumps with excitement at the thought. When he tasted my cooking last time, his genie stomach couldn’t handle it and he threw it all up. Now I can share everything with him.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll make us something.”
I’m about to get out of bed, but he wraps his arms around my waist. “Can we stay in bed a little bit longer? I want to be close to you.” He nuzzles my neck. “I love you so much.”
“I love you more.”
“No way.”
We remain in each other’s arms. I can feel Sebastian’s chest rising and falling against mine. His heart is beating quickly. When I look up at him, I see his eyebrows knitted.
I place my hand on his chest. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Just…you make me feel alive.”
“You make me feel alive, too.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s worried about something.
Sitting up, I ask, “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
His sad eyes meet mine. “I’ll be okay.”
I press my cheek to his. “Please tell me what’s wrong. I want us to be able to talk about anything.”
He nods, biting his lip. “I want that, too, but I don’t want to make you sad or upset.”
“I’m only sad when I see you sad.”
He nods again as he fixates on the window. “It’s not only my excitement about being human that caused me to wake up early.” He swallows. “I was thinking about Renaya.”
My heart goes out to him and I caress his hand. “I’m so sorry, Sebastian.”
His gaze is still on the window. “For hundreds of years, I worried about her, wondering if she was okay, if she was alive. I wanted more than anything to save her from Ortarus, but I couldn’t do anything. But I was still hopeful that she was alive.” He turns to me, his eyes glassy. “She died before I had the chance to take her away from that place.” His fingers plow through his hair. “If I would have handled things a little differently and wouldn’t have gone after the prince, maybe I could have gotten us both out.”
I place my hands on either side of his face, turning his head so I can look into his eyes. “What happened on Ortarus wasn’t your fault. You were just trying to protect your sister. Please don’t blame yourself.”
He moves his head, and my hands drop. “I don’t deserve to be happy and free. Why do I get to have a good life while she’s dead? It isn’t fair.”
“Don’t say that. You’re such a good person, Sebastian. Renaya doesn’t blame you for what happened. If she were alive, she’d tell you how happy she is for you. I know it.”
He’s quiet, most probably pondering over my words. He envelops me in his arms, resting his head on mine. “I just feel so guilty.”
“We can’t change the past,” I say. “No matter how much we want to. We have no control over anything that happens, but we can control our actions. The guilt will consume you, Sebastian. Your sister wouldn’t want you to feel this way. She would want you to have a meaningful life.”
He nods slowly.
I take his hand. “Come, let’s eat something.”
I climb out of bed and grab some clothes. Before I leave the room to head for the shower, Sebastian says, “Lily?” I turn around. He smiles sadly. “Thank you.”
Chapter Two
From the look on Sebastian’s face, I can tell he’s still thinking about Renaya. Her death is new to him, and he’s just learning to cope with it. For hundreds of years, he held onto the hope that she was alive. When I wished him home, things got a little messed up. Instead of bringing him back to Ortarus before his sister died, it brought him to right after. He couldn’t save her. To learn she killed herself only moments before he returned must have crushed him. I was in his shoes four months ago, after Daisy died. Other than my best friend, Macy, I had no one to comfort me. I’m going to be there for Sebastian. This is all my fault, since I was the one who absolved him of his crime and caused Renaya to kill herself. I feel so guilty and wish I could undo it all. I wish Sebastian could go back in time and save his sister. Then he’d bring her here and she wouldn’t set foot in that terrible Ortarus again.
He and I are sitting at the kitchen table, eating pancakes. Sebastian isn’t, though, he’s just staring at his plate.
“Sebastian?” I ask.
He blinks. “I’m sorry.”
I rub my thumb over his hand. “I want you to know that I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you. And I’m sorry for everything that happened. I blame myself.”
He shakes his head. “Please don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault. You’re such a special person, Lily. I don’t want to constantly beat myself up over everything that happened, no matter how difficult it is.” He swallows.
“It’s going to take some time.”
“I want to be happy with you.”
I bring his hand to my mouth and kiss it. “It’s okay. Take all the time you need.”
He shakes his head again. “It’s like you said, the guilt is going to consume me. I need to accept that it happened and move on. I can’t change the past, and Renaya wouldn’t want me to wallow like this.” He eyes the pancakes on his plate. “These look delicious.” He cuts a piece and slowly, hesitantly, like he’s afraid the pancakes will eat him alive, he brings it to his mouth and takes a bite. His eyes light up. “Even better than delicious!”
I smile, feeling my cheeks warm up. “Thanks.”
His eyes narrow as he examines the pancakes. “What are those things?”
“Chocolate chips.”
“I’ve heard of them. Aren’t they used for cookies?”
He’s so adorable when he asks questions about the human world. I really love teaching him and watching the excitement shine on his face. “You can pretty much do anything with chocolate chips. I love being creative in the kitchen. Mom and I used to experiment a lot.” After we left the alley outside Inferno yesterday, I told Sebastian that I reached out to my mom and that we’ve started talking again.
“I’m going to visit her next week,” I tell him. “She and I have an appointment to see a therapist to help us deal with Daisy’s death. I’d love for you to come along so you can meet her. She’ll love you.”
He shifts in his seat. “I need to get used to the fact that people can see me. For hundreds of years, it was always only one person who I was visible to—my master.” He furrows his eyebrows and looks down at himself. “That’s strange. I have this weird feeling in my
stomach at the thought of meeting your mother.”
“That’s probably nerves.”
He looks down at himself again. “Is that normal?”
As a genie, he never felt human emotions, up until he met me. I’m sure he’s been nervous before, but the nerves he’s feeling now is something completely new. I’d be freaking out too if he asked me to meet his parents.
When I think about his mom and dad, I can’t help but get angry. They handed Sebastian and his sister to the palace just so they could up their status in the Ortarian society. If anyone’s to blame for what happened to Renaya, it’s them.
I get up and sit on his lap. “It’s totally normal, but I wish you wouldn’t be nervous.”
“How do you know she’ll love me?”
I tap his nose. “Because you’re awesome.”
His cheeks redden. It was harder to see him blush when he was a genie. His skin would change into a lighter shade of gold. Now that he’s human and has light skin, I can see it perfectly. As much as I loved him as a genie, I love that he’s human and that I notice things I hadn’t before.
We finish eating. Today is Saturday, and luckily I don’t have to go in to work today. The thought of being away from Sebastian after he just came back? Hell no. I want to spend every second of every day with him, even though I know that’s impossible.
I get up and am about to collect the dishes, when Sebastian says, “Let me clean up.”
“It’s okay.”
“Please, Lily. You made the food. I want to help you.”
I want to argue, but decide not to. It seems silly to fight over something as stupid as chores. “Okay.”
He smiles crookedly as he raises his hands. My eyes pop open when all the dirty dishes float in the air. He has magic. I completely forgot. Even though he’s human, he comes from a magical world and still has some magic.
In a straight line, the dishes head for the sink, where they’re washed and rinsed with soap and water. I don’t have a dishwasher, and I’m really glad my genie has magic.
“Cheater,” I tease. “I don’t think that’s very human-like.”
He chuckles, pulling me to his lap. He wraps his arms around my waist and presses his lips to the side of my neck. “But now we have more time to do this.” He brings his lips down to the back of my neck, around to the other side. He stops right in front of my mouth, hovering a few inches away. His eyes bore into mine, so deep and intense. They’re like a dark ocean, and I can get lost in them. My heart is beating at an erratic pace and my body gets hot.
Loving the Genie (Genie's Love, Book 2) Page 1