by Larissa Ladd
Skyler dug her heels into his back, and, at that urging, he began to move again, in and out with sweet satisfaction, devouring her mouth and reveling in the feel of her fingernails on his back as they scratched and raised goosebumps on his skin. He moved faster, the friction egging him on, along with Skyler’s sighs and moans. Her inner walls tightened around him, and he could feel her moisture building again, making him slide easily within her.
The energy around them grew hot and sparked with electricity, and they both grew frantic in their motions, working together in hard, fast motions, clasping at each other, until it became too much for Chad and he pushed himself as deep inside as he could and let go, his cry of ecstasy echoed by hers as her insides began to quake against him, making his orgasm pulse out of control. He used all his strength to hold himself up, to feel every last nerve in his body explode, until Skyler quieted and all that was left was their heavy breathing and the coat of sweat on their bodies.
Only then did he lay next to her, his eyelids heavy as he pulled her against him, cradling her against his body. How had he managed to actually fall for this woman, whom he had been so desperate to get away from? And why was he suddenly nervous he might lose her? It didn’t make sense at all.
He buried his nose in her hair and took a deep breath, loving the smell of her shampoo blended with her own scent. It brought him to the edge of sleep, and as he drifted off, he whispered, “I love you.”
Chapter 18
Unable to sleep, Skyler had waited until she was sure Chad was out and snuck down to the kitchen, wrapping herself in his robe and sitting down at the small table for two with a spoon and the half-eaten gallon of ice cream. She’d sat there for a long time, absently digging at the dessert and licking it off the spoon, until it was gone. That had been an hour ago.
It was nearly two in the morning when Chad wandered in to join her, bleary eyed and barely awake. She stared at him, in a pair of boxers and nothing else. After all, she’d stolen his robe. He was perfect, from head to toe, and she loved spending time with him. They had more fun together than she’d ever had alone or with anyone else, including Jayden. She never had to try to be someone else with him, save for hiding the witchy part of her.
And tonight, he’d told her he loved her.
Whether that was real emotion or all part of the game, she had wanted to believe it. Only now, it was all going to come to an end. She’d finally found someone that felt perfect for her, someone she could spend the rest of her life with—and with a warlock, that was actually possible—and she had to give him up.
“Are you alright?” he asked, rubbing his eyes and seeing the empty ice cream tub in front of her.
She nodded, not wanting to discuss any of this until she had to, when Creed could provide a bit of a buffer tomorrow. “I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep. It happens sometimes.”
He plodded over and kissed the top of her head, her hair mussed from sex, and smiled at her. “I’m sorry I passed out on you. If it’s any consolation, that’s a sign it was too good to stay awake.”
She laughed lightly as he bent over and opened the fridge, obviously searching for a snack of his own. Skyler, too, was already hungry again. Ice cream didn’t particularly last long in her stomach, especially with her appetite. “If there’s any leftover pizza in there, I’d love a slice or two,” she called out as he rummaged around. She watched as he pulled out the pizza box and tossed two slices on each of two paper plates. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He sat down and took a bite, talking while he chewed. It was actually quite endearing. “You know, this is extremely unhealthy. We can’t do this all the time.”
“You’re probably right. But I already do it all the time. I call it sleep-eating. You know, when you get up in the middle of the night, after midnight, and you aren’t fully awake and yet you still manage to eat. That’s sleep-eating.” She swallowed a bite of her own pizza. “But I’m getting older, and I doubt I can get away with it much longer before I pack on the pounds.”
Chad rolled his eyes, looking more alert now. “I doubt that you’ll ever pack on the pounds. You have an amazing body that never quits.” He caught her gaze and held it, and the twinkle in his eye was almost too much for her. God, when exactly had she decided she was in love with him? “Why can’t you sleep tonight?” he asked, and the abrupt change in subject struck her too suddenly and with too much force for her to be able to control her reaction.
“You told me you loved me before you fell asleep.” The words just fell out of her mouth, and Skyler wished desperately she could take them back, think of something else to say.
He stared at her without responding, his slice of pizza halfway to his mouth, for what seemed like an eternity. The longer he sat like that, the less hope Skyler had. Chad had made a mistake, said something in the throes of passion he didn’t mean, and she should have just let it go.
“I do.” The words didn’t process at first, and she just kept staring at him, her heart sinking. But he repeated, “I love you, Skyler, and maybe I’ll be damned to hell for the decisions I’ve made, but this time, I know what I want, and I’m not going to let anything stand in the way of it. I’m in love with you, and I can only hope you feel the same about me.”
She couldn’t remember actually feeling his honesty before. Certainly, he’d been convincing in his words, and she had believed him. But this time, it was as if he planted a seed of honesty in her stomach and she could feel it growing, filling her with love and excitement and trust. If this was a warlock magic trick, then so be it. At least she could be happy about being used.
Closing her eyes, she told herself she shouldn’t say anything, not now. She should have waited until she would be confronting Chad with Creed. It would be a lot less devastating if he turned her away tomorrow should she just keep her own feelings to herself. But she couldn’t hold it in anymore. It consumed her and overflowed, and she told him, “I love you, too, Chad. I don’t know how or why, but I don’t really care. You make me happy, and I want to be with you.”
His smile was infectious as it spread over his face, and he stood, drawing her to her feet and enveloping her in a hug so tight she could barely breathe. She didn’t pull away, though, feeling whole for the first time in a long time. She wanted to savor the moment. Her brother was home, hopefully to stay, and in this moment, there was a charming, handsome, intelligent man who loved her and wanted her. Even if it only lasted one night, it would at least give her a memory to cherish that would keep her strong through the heartache to come.
“So, now what?” he asked, his mouth in her hair. “Do we move in together? Do I buy a ring and ask you to marry me? What’s the next step?”
Skyler’s heart seized. She couldn’t answer those questions tonight. Pulling back so she could look him in the eye, she said, “Let’s take one step at a time. Right now, let’s just celebrate how we feel. We can talk details and logistics anytime. I don’t want to rush. There’s no need. We have plenty of time.”
“That’s true,” he said, though it seemed like he was talking to himself more than to her. “We have all the time in the world.” With another enormous smile, he gestured toward the table. “I think we should finish our food and go back to bed. This time, I think you’ll sleep like a baby.”
Skyler knew better, but she didn’t argue. She took her own advice. It was time to live in the moment.
Chapter 19
Nothing more than a bundle of nerves, Skyler drove toward the café where she’d set up the meeting with Chad, her brother in the passenger seat beside her. Everything was going wrong. She’d had to fight with the production line to get her article into the latest issue of the magazine because they hadn’t checked their email until after the deadline. She’d been thinking about this meeting all day and hadn’t spoken to Chad since before lunch. He’d ended up in a meeting for the rest of the day and was running late, which was why they weren’t all going together right now.
On top of all that,
she’d been trying to get in touch with Jayden, needing to share her load with her best friend, but she’d heard nothing from her since she had left her house on Sunday. That wasn’t normal, and Skyler was frightened that something had happened to her. She half expected to show up at the café and find Van and Chad holding her hostage.
“You need to calm down, Skyler,” her brother said softly. “Worrying so much that it turns the air around you strange shades of orange isn’t going to help anyone.”
She knew that, but she couldn’t help it. If she was a mathematician or a scientist, she would have already configured a chart of all the possible iterations of how this conversation would turn out and figured probabilities for each. Of course, she knew enough to know that it was a very remote chance—like the chance of starting a new universe and having the earth develop exactly the same sort of chance—that everything would be alright at the end of the day. She didn’t need to know the probability of each bad scenario.
“I’m doing the best I can, Creed, I promise.” She sounded stressed even to her own ears, her voice tight and a higher pitch than usual.
He turned from his gaze out the window, and from the corner of her eye, she saw him assessing her. “Something changed. Last night, while you were with him, something changed. It’s not just a fling anymore, is it? And you think you’re going to have to give him up to get me the help I need.”
She hit the heel of her hand against the steering wheel. “Would you stop that already? It’s impolite to dig that deep and even more unacceptable to talk about what you find when you do it.”
He laughed softly. “I didn’t have to dig at all, Skyler. You’re wearing this burden on your shoulder, and it’s bouncing up and down, waving its arms in the air at me like it can’t get enough attention.”
She grimaced. “It’s not just me I’m worried about. I’m worried about Jayden. She hasn’t called or anything since Sunday. And I’m worried about you. Even if everything else were to come out with a fairytale ending, it could still mean that Chad is the bad guy and he turns you into a monster at the end, leaving it my duty to destroy you in order to save the world.”
“You have far too much imagination for someone of your age,” he muttered, looking back out the window.
“I’m barely exaggerating, and don’t make ‘old woman’ references again.” She hated that. They weren’t all that far apart in age, and Skyler was well aware that she still looked very young. He just did it to torment her. It was a younger sibling’s job to do so, but that didn’t make her any happier about it. “Anyway, there’s also the rest of the coven. If this is all part of some master plan, Chad and Van could have used us to lure you here so they would have more power to take over our coven. That’s a much bigger deal than a heartbroken witch licking her wounds.”
“That’s true, but I still think you’re assuming too much and being much too negative. What about this scenario: Chad is surprised but elated to discover that the woman he loves is also magical. The two of you can live together in bliss for another hundred years, and because he loves you so much, he’s more than happy to help me with my problems. In fact, he even loves you enough to put up with Mom as a mother-in-law with a smile. That’s love right there.” He was smiling broadly at her by the time he finished. “Is that such a stretch to believe?”
“Yes,” she told him simply as she pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center where the café was. She turned off the engine and got out of the car, slamming the door. If she’d hesitated, she might have just turned around and gone home. “Are you ready?” she asked as Creed got out of the car and she hit the button to lock it.
He shrugged. “I’m as ready as I can get. I’ve been disappointed so many times in my life that one more won’t hurt that bad. And if I get help, I’ll be thrilled. It’s you that needs to be ready.”
“I’m never going to be ready,” she groaned but started toward the door anyway. She was nauseated and hoped a green tea would help. “Let’s get this over with.”
The café was rather busy. Several small tables were occupied by clientele that seemed to be on vacation, enjoying themselves in conversation and laughter. Chad was already there, sitting at a table in the far back corner, apparently realizing they needed privacy for whatever discussion he was expecting. Skyler hadn’t given him a single clue as to what Creed would be asking of him, and she couldn’t imagine what sort of explosive reaction might occur. All she knew was that, as private as the conversation would start, it was highly likely that everyone here would know something was very wrong by the time they really got started.
He stood to kiss her as she approached, the green tea in her hand with chamomile, ginseng, and several other herbs infused, which made it cost a fortune—and worth every penny. He reached a hand out to Creed, shaking it in greeting. “I’m so happy to meet you. Your sister speaks very highly of you and is quite excited to have you home.”
Creed smiled back, and Skyler watched his face. He seemed to sense good energy around Chad, but that could just be a ruse. Creed was good at hiding his own emotions when he wanted, and it would be just as easy for Chad to glamour someone as it was for Skyler. “The pleasure’s all mine. My sister had told me quite a bit about you as well, and I couldn’t wait to meet you. This is a very big deal for me.”
Chad glanced back and forth between them, his smile radiant. “I hope I don’t disappoint you, then.” He winked at Skyler, and her heart melted in her chest. “So, tell me, Creed, what sort of issues have you had in the past that you think I could help you with?”
Creed looked to Skyler, who apparently was going to have to start the talking. Shifting uneasily, her stomach still curdling, she hedged, “Creed’s had a lot of issues with anger management, and he’s an insomniac. There are things on his mind all the time that keep him awake, make him paranoid, draw empathy for others that he really can’t afford to share. He’s been plagued since he was a small child.”
The crease in Chad’s brow deepened as he considered the words with an intense frown. “It sounds miserable. I’d love to help you, but I’m not sure what I can do. I could certainly listen to the things in your head, if you wanted to talk, but you might be better off with counseling.”
Creed laughed nervously. “No, I don’t think counseling is the answer. I’ve spent years looking for a way to calm the voices in my head. It’s not a schizophrenia, but doctors want to diagnose it that way. Meds don’t work. The only way I’ve found to quiet it at all is to meditate. I’ve spent months in a monastery trying to stay sane, and if the monks are right, there’s only one way to cure my problem. That’s where you come in.”
Skyler watched as Chad’s countenance changed. “I’m not really following here. Skyler, perhaps you could clue me in on what exactly you’ve told your brother about me that makes him think I can cure him.”
She hesitated, clenching her hands together in her lap. “Well, it’s not really the symptoms that need relief. Creed thinks he’s found the cause of his pain, and he’s looking for a certain type of individual to help him out.”
Chad’s eyes darted back and forth, but he said nothing as his scowl drew deeper. Skyler knew she was being cryptic, but she couldn’t bring herself to just look at him and tell him she knew he was a warlock. It was like addressing someone who had a wife and kids in front of their family and telling them you knew they were gay. It was a privacy thing.
Creed, though, was apparently tired of tiptoeing around the subject. “Look, Chad, my sister’s having a really hard time with this, especially since she got a lot dropped on her all at once. Between falling in love with you, figuring you out, and learning what was wrong with me, she’s all tied up in knots. So, let’s just be straightforward, shall we?”
The color of Chad’s eyes seemed to darken into a stormy gray, as if preparing for the worst. Was that a look of rage, or was he getting ready to do battle? Skyler’s head spun, and she couldn’t look at him anymore as she heard him say, “By all means, let
’s get to the point. What is it you want from me, Creed?”
She listened as if she was a spectator, from a distance, putting herself out of the matter. “It’s a rare thing when males are affected by the gene in females that gives them their powers. For men, it’s passed down through the father’s line, and my father wasn’t magical. He was a construction worker who died far too young because he liked his red meat. But I knew the moment we came in here that not only were you hoping you were wrong about Skyler having discovered your secret but that you were nervous and fidgeting because you had another purpose. If this meeting went well, you wanted to discuss moving in together or some other next step in the relationship. It was written all over you.
“Now, there’s only one way I would have known that, and it would be if I was like you.”
Chad slammed his palms down on the table, and Skyler jumped, staring at the fury on his face. He addressed Creed in a deceptively calm voice that dripped with false happiness. “That’s lovely, boy. And just what about yourself is it that you think is just like me?”
Skyler watched, morbidly mesmerized, as Creed just sat there, unaffected by the barely veiled threat in Chad’s voice. This was a man she didn’t know, a side of him she hadn’t thought existed, even in his early days of being so incredibly unyielding in his criticism of her. Was this his true self, the warlock beneath the human exterior? Or was this the farce, the way he covered up what he was and made people who questioned him run away in denial, just to preserve their lives?
Unflappable, even through the deep circles under his eyes and the years of torment, Creed simply offered a smile in return, one of menace and determination that she’d never seen him wear before. “I’m assuming you don’t want everyone here to know any of this, so you might settle down before some of that warlock juju leaks out and changes the entire atmosphere of this café.”