“I want it to be perfect,” he admitted.
“What?” She didn’t care about perfect, she cared about getting a damn kiss. She’d been so close the night before, only to be interrupted when she started magicking everywhere.
“Our first kiss. I want it to be perfect.” His eyes pleaded with her and she tried to ignore them.
“Well I want it now.” She pouted, the anger and frustration still raising up inside her. She didn’t care for waiting. Not when she wanted something.
“No,” he repeated, taking a step forward and removing the gap that she’d created between them. With a gentle finger, he stroked a spare strand of her hair away from her face. “I’ve lived so long, and yet rushed so many things. I don’t want to rush you.”
“I’m not being rushed,” she said, her anger dissipating slightly, but that didn’t help stop whatever it was that was building up inside her. It was like a tidal wave of something, almost like when the frosts had come last year and the power had surged through her. Which probably wasn’t good.
“Maybe not. But we’re still waiting.”
She turned away, trying to get a grip on herself and the intense feeling. She glanced down at her hands, unsurprised to find them covered in ice.
“Erm...Eira,” Rueben sounded a little uneasy and she pulled her attention towards the snowflakes falling at an ever-increasing rate around her flat.
“Fuck,” she muttered, trying to reign everything back in, but failing miserably. “I don’t know how to stop.” Panic was rising, and with it, the speed at which the snow seemed to be falling.
“How’ve you stopped it before?” Rueben asked. “Can I help?”
“It’s never happened before.” She was shaking, the effort of trying to control everything becoming too much.
“Count with me?” Rueben asked, his concerned eyes meeting hers, she nodded and counted aloud with him.
“It’s not working.” She stepped away, frustrated by the lack of any change in the tempest around her. The front door of her flat opened, catching Eira’s eye from where she was standing, and the sight of Josh striding in uninvited sent relief crashing through her.
“What the hell did you do?” he demanded of Rueben, who just shrugged.
“Refused to kiss her,” he admitted quietly. Josh shook his head and strode the rest of the way towards Eira, pulling her to him and crushing her to him.
The moment their lips touched, everything began to settle, and she could feel the room returning to normal, even if she couldn’t focus on anything but the man holding her. Josh threaded his hand in her hair, tugging on it slightly and making her moan. Why couldn’t Rueben have just done this? Wouldn’t it have been easy enough just to kiss her and not wind her up to the point of it snowing everywhere?
Then again, if it got her kissed, she didn’t care by who. Though she’d get the vampire back. She didn’t know how yet, but she would. Josh broke the kiss, and she stared up at his glazed green eyes, noticing that the sparks had returned and were playing with snowflakes around them. Hesitantly, she looked around the room, but the only snow she could see was that which surrounded the two of them, the rest of the room seemed clear.
Her eyes locked with Rueben’s, noticing the pure lust that was lurking there, along with the fangs that were poking through. So he wasn’t unaffected by her. Either that, or he had a thing for Josh, but that didn’t seem likely.
“Hell,” Rueben said before she could open her mouth and say something inappropriate. Namely that he should join them.
“Are you okay?” Josh asked, turning them slightly so that he could see the vampire too, but not letting Eira escape from his arms. She didn’t think it was a possessive gesture, just that he wanted to keep the connection to her.
“I can’t do this.” Rueben turned away from them and stalked towards the door, only turning around when he was about to leave. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Eira. I’m sorry.” With that he left, leaving her in Josh’s arms but feeling like a part of her had just left. Damn, this had just got a lot more complicated.
“What happened?” Josh asked softly after a moment.
“He refused to kiss me,” she answered, unable to keep the sad note from her voice.
“And your succubus side took over?”
“No, I don’t think so. It felt different.”
“Maybe it was the part of you that needs to bond with him properly?” he suggested, smoothing his hand along her back, helping her relax whether he intended to or not.
“Why are you so okay with this?” she asked, ignoring his question and repeating the one she’d asked Leth earlier.
“It’s unusual, true. But before I couldn’t touch you like this, now I can, for me, that makes it okay.”
“Oh.” She didn’t have a better response, not really.
“Plus, if you like it, then who am I to say no?” He leaned down, so that his lips were close to her ear, his breath fanning against her skin and making her shiver. “I’d do anything to make you happy, E.”
Unsure how else to respond, she twisted slightly so that she could capture his lips with hers again. Maybe this time, they didn’t have to stop.
Eight
She pulled him towards her bed, thankful that he didn’t protest in the slightest. She reached around, pulling down the zipper of her dress and letting it fall to the floor. Josh’s eyes widened as he took her in, a click of his fingers and a shower of green sparks removing his own clothes, but also neatly folding them. A highly useful trick really, she’d be making use of that one.
“You sure about this?” he asked, stalking forward in a way that was highly unwitch like and put her more in the mind of some kind of shifter after his prey.
“I’ve been sure for years,” she admitted, watching his smile light up his face. She didn’t think she’d realised quite how honest he’d been when he’d said he wanted her for years. At least, not until now. Seeing the look on his face left no doubt in her mind. He pulled her to him, the naked feel of her skin against his igniting something inside her. He wasn’t as warm as Leth, but he was certainly warmer than Rueben was. It was an interesting comparison in her mind, and she couldn’t wait to find out what having a combination of temperatures touching her felt like. But maybe that was best left alone until later. She didn’t want to scare Josh quite yet, though from what he’d said earlier he’d probably be fine with it. Rueben clearly would be. And Leth...well she’d figure that one out when she wasn’t as mad at him.
“Good.” He pushed her gently, causing her to fall back on the bed, but she pulled him down with her, not wanting to lose contact. “Easy, E. We have forever,” he said against the soft skin of her throat. Maybe the word forever should have freaked her out, but it didn’t. It just came with a kind rightness settling within her.
“No, no time,” she panted as his hand trailed up her leg, touching the inside of her thigh. Why, oh why hadn’t she taken her underwear off when she’d got rid of her dress? Josh chuckled, giving her a quick kiss on the lips before moving to her neck, littering kisses there that only made her hotter.
“What do you need, E?” he asked.
“You.” She gasped as he pushed her underwear to the side and slid one of his fingers inside her. She bucked against his hand, wanting more but not quite ready to ask for it. Thankfully, he seemed to take the hint, and a second finger joined his first, pushing her to new heights. She was never going to last at this rate. “The sparks,” she added, not knowing where it came from.
“Really?” He sounded amused, but the next thing she knew, the room was filled with a soft green glow, and the sparks danced up and down her skin, leaving tingles in their wake. She’d been right, it was like nothing she’d ever imagined. Something built within, more intense than it ever had before, but she couldn’t get enough of it. “Let go, E,” Josh whispered in her ear, and at that moment, her legs began to shake and she lost all control over her train of thought. Nothing existed but the intensity of the moment, an
d the feel of Josh and his sparks against her.
Her eyes fluttered as she came back down to earth, and she opened them to find Josh perched above her with a satisfied smirk on his face. Well, that wasn’t on. He couldn’t think that he was the only one making things good in this bed. She pushed his shoulder gently, and he turned over. She grinned at him lazily, not completely with it, but knowing that this was what she needed, and that her succubus side would finally be properly sated. She looked down at Josh’s toned body. Or maybe not. Staying in bed most of the time wouldn’t be amiss in her book.
She straddled his waist, conscious that the two of them were still wearing their underwear. She frowned. That was going to be problematic. Beneath her, Josh chuckled, before raising his hand and calling his magic again, removing the last of their clothing and leaving them finally, blissfully naked.
She leaned over him, her pale blonde hair falling to the side, as she brought her lips to his and kissed him with unrestrained passion. It was finally happening. She was finally about to sleep with Josh, and it was already far better than any of her wildest fantasies. She pulled back from the kiss, moving back so that she could reach down between them and guide him into her.
“Eira.” Her name came out strained as he entered her for the first time, but she couldn’t think straight enough to be able to respond. He flexed his hips beneath her, pulling a loud moan from Eira’s lips. If it was always going to be like this, then she was definitely going to try staying in bed for the rest of her life.
Josh pushed himself up so that he was seated with her still on top of him, and snaked one arm around her waist, and the other propping the two of them up. Her own hands flew to his chest, smoothing her hands over it. He pulled her even closer, setting a rhythm that had another release building inside her. Except that this one felt different from before, it almost felt like her magic was coming with it. She tried to tamp it down, but another thrust from Josh, combined with an eruption of sparks that seemed to coming from him, left her without a choice.
The sensation built more and more, until she couldn’t even remember her own name, too focused on the moans and the sound of skin on skin. It was more intense than anything she’d ever experienced before, and she wanted to let go, and for it to never end at the same time. Josh’s movements became more erratic, and with one final thrust, he reached his release, taking Eira over the edge with him. Behind her eyes, sparks began to fly, though she was sure they were around the room as well, there was no chance they weren’t given how they’d reacted to their kiss earlier.
She collapsed on to Josh, feeling like a boneless mess. He leaned back, pulling her into his arms and kissing her head softly. After a few moments rest, she opened her eyes to finding an adoring green gaze watching her.
“Wow,” she said, her voice surprisingly hoarse. Josh chuckled.
“Wow, indeed.”
“Will it always be like that?” She hoped so.
“Good question, maybe give me ten minutes and we can find out.” He smiled at her with his normal ease, but the expression in his eyes revealed that there was another depth to his playfulness, one that hadn’t been there before. Or had, according to him, he just hadn’t been able to act upon it.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
“I hope so.” Actually, now she thought about it, he seemed more like himself than he had in a while. Maybe the restriction had taken more of a toll on him than he realised. “Maybe nix the snow though, it was kind of chilly.”
“Snow?” She frowned at him.
“You didn’t notice?”
“I had other things on my mind.” She smirked back at him. Instead of answering, he just waved his hand to the side and she glanced over his shoulder to find a thin layer of snow littering her room. Well that was unexpected. “Huh.”
“Not happened before?” She looked back at him, unable to ignore the smug smile on his face. She swatted his shoulder gently, but knew he wouldn’t take it seriously.
“You know it hasn’t.”
“You’d have told me.”
“You joke, but I would.” Now she thought about it, it was kind of odd that she’d told Josh about every man she’d ever had sex with. But then, just like her need to feel like he was giving his permission, she figured that it was linked to the bond that neither of them were able to act upon.
“I know.” He didn’t look away quickly enough to hide the sadness in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It can’t have been easy hearing me talk about that.”
“No, it wasn’t. But it was also necessary. It’s not like you could have gone without.”
She reached out and touched his cheek, making him look back at her. She hated the resignation in his eyes, and was determined to do everything she could to make it go away.
“I’ll do everything I can to make it up to you, Josh. Please, believe me,” she begged, not at all ashamed that she was doing. She needed to make him smile again, anything less would break her heart.
“I do,” he said instantly.
“It’s just you and me now,” she added.
“And Leth and Rueben,” he teased, the sadness leaving his voice.
“Well yes, and them.” So long as they didn’t continue to piss her off that was. Though realistically, she knew that even if they did, it wasn’t likely she could walk away from them, that just wasn’t how paranormal mating worked. They would need to make it up to her though. Preferably on their knees. With chocolate and wine in their hands.
“And you’ll be happy with that?” Josh’s eyes lit up as he stroked a hand up her side.
“Yes,” she admitted quietly.
“Good.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the nose gently, the affection he felt for her making itself known.
Nine
“Good morning, Frostie,” a voice said from the direction of her window, but she didn’t need to open her eyes to know who it was. For a start, pretty much no one else would be perched on her windowsill. Hell, that was probably the way he’d got into her flat. Josh knew she was mad at him, so wouldn’t have let the other man in when he’d left for work. Or she hoped he hadn’t, otherwise he was getting a stern talking to when she saw him later.
Eira sat up in the bed, letting the sheet fall to her waist. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen her naked already, and it was only fair play that he could see what he wasn’t allowed to touch.
“Morning,” she responded, swinging her legs out of bed, and stretching, her back turned to the fae. She sauntered over to her wardrobe, fully aware of the effect she was likely having on him right now, especially with the post-sex glow she was surely sporting.
“I see you had fun last night,” he remarked.
“No thanks to you.” She pulled a baggy t-shirt and leggings from the drawers inside her wardrobe. She didn’t actually need to go anywhere as she didn’t have work. Unless Leth told her what was going on with the frosts, that was, then she’d probably have to leave the house. Ah, well. She’d deal with getting properly dressed if and when she had to. She pulled the t-shirt over her head, letting it fall below her ass.
“You could have stayed, it could have ended like this.”
She spun around, the anger he’d riled up in her the night before returning. He didn’t even sound sad that their date had ended badly. In fact, it was almost like he was laughing at her. “Not when you refuse to tell me the whole truth.” She pointed a finger at him and channeled as much anger as she could into her face. He was going to tell her the truth. He’d have to if he wanted her in any way shape or form.
“I can’t tell you,” he admitted, an unnamed emotion that sounded almost like regret creeping into his voice.
“Why not?” she demanded.
“It betrays someone.”
She raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t going to have him play that way. No way was he guilting her into letting this go. “So what? I’m just supposed to let the frosts disappear? Do you have any idea what that could mean
? For the world? For my family? For me?” She almost choked on the last question, and Leth jumped down from the windowsill, making short work of the space between them, though he did hit his leg on the side of the bed. Karma really could be a bitch.
“Eira—” He tried to reach out to her, but she stepped back, narrowly avoiding a collision with her wardrobe.
“Don’t,” she hissed.
“I can’t—”
“Don’t, Leth,” she interrupted. “If you can’t tell me the truth, then don’t bother telling me anything. In fact, just go. I don’t want you here. Mate or not, lie to me and you will never set foot near me again.” Her blood ran like ice cold anger inside her veins. Which was pretty damn impressive considering she was ice. Or more accurately since she could control ice. Either way, coldness wasn’t exactly alien to her.
“But—”
“Just go. Now.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. Wise man. She didn’t get the impression that he was going to tell her anything useful anyway, it was better that he went and stopped distracting her. Despite her anger and the resentment towards his lies, her body was still responding to his closeness and the warmth that emanated from him. It was enticing, and all she wanted to do was sink into his arms and forget that she had any problems.
To her immense disappointment, he turned back towards the window. “The door, Leth. Use the door. And make sure you use it in the future too. Preferably with a knock.” He nodded, acknowledging her request, but didn’t turn to look at her as he walked out of her bedroom, and hopefully towards the front door of her flat.
When the familiar click of the lock engaging sounded, she relaxed against the wall, relieved to finally be alone. She had a lot she needed to do if she was going to figure this out, which meant that it was probably time to study the family history. Fortunately, somewhere along the line, one of her ancestors had the foresight to write it down. Unfortunately, it was boring as hell and she hated every moment of reading the damn book. She was technically supposed to have done it before she turned eighteen, but no one had actually enforced it. She was starting to regret her decision to avoid finishing now.
Saving Eira (Fated Seasons Book 1) Page 5