She stepped back on a gasp, her hand coming out of Cedric’s. He turned toward her, brows furrowed and confused. “What the hell is going on?” He asked, and turned back toward the man.
“She is wearing a moonstone,” the man rumbled. His deep voice vibrated through her body and shook the ground beneath her feet.
Cedric stepped in front of her in a protective manner. “What of it?”
“You know she is looking for love? Someone to spend the rest of eternity with?”
Cedric nodded sharply. His body tensed, instinct told her to step forward to rest her hand on his back. “I know what she’s looking for,” Cedric said, a thread of steel weaving though his voice.
“And you think you can give it to her?” The man chuckled low and deadly. People moved away from him.
She peeked around Cedric’s body to see the man’s eyes light up with the vibrant purple again, this time consuming his irises. Sparks of electricity crackled from his hands.
“I can give her everything she’s ever wanted. I am everything she’s ever wanted.” Cedric’s hands balled into fists and began to glow. The spheres of lights grew brighter and brighter, creeping up his arms. She knew his main power was current and lightning.
The man wasn’t intimidated in the least by the show of power. He cocked his head, narrowing his gaze. “When you touch her, what do you feel? Does fire burst through your veins? Does the moonstone glow?”
“It doesn’t matter what I feel,” Cedric replied.
“When I touched her, it was like ice, shards of pain and cold enough to freeze a person’s heart. She is not meant for me.”
“You were never an option.”
A slight smile curled the man’s lips. “But that isn’t what you thought the first time we met.”
Willow stepped out from behind Cedric, intent on confronting the man. She’d never seen him before, and she didn’t think Cedric had either. He appeared as wary as she was. “Whoa there.”
Cedric stuck his arm out, holding her back. Willow wanted to walk up to the man and look directly into his eyes. See for herself if he was telling the truth.
“The first time we met? I’ve never seen you before in my life,” Cedric said, confirming what she thought. He curved his hand around her hip and pulled her closer to him.
Her body brushed up against his, setting the moonstone on fire. She moaned softly as wisps of sensual heat licked over her skin.
One of the man’s dark eyebrows rose, and Cedric turned his head in her direction. He looked to be as shocked as she felt that the sound escaped. A slow blush heated her cheeks, and she resisted covering them, aware she would draw more attention that way.
“Heat. She feels heat whisk through her blood at your touch. The kind only a lover can produce.” The man’s grin grew wide. “That is as it should be.” He turned abruptly and headed back to Hazel. As he walked toward her, his body morphed, twisting and reshaping gracefully into a black cat.
Willow’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit! It is Edward.”
The cat cast a glance in her direction and flicked its tail. He vaulted into Hazel’s arms, to the surprise of everyone around them. His deep rumbling purr could be heard from a distance.
The crowd around them started to clap. Hazel curtsied and pulled the velvet curtain back down, disappearing before Willow’s brain processed what the hell had just happened.
“How about we go home?” Cedric asked, draping an arm over her shoulders.
“Yeah, I think I’ve had enough fun tonight.”
They walked away, heading back to where Cedric’s SUV was parked. Her mind was too full to really get a handle on what that little show was about. Had her cat really been a man? Did he give his approval of Cedric? Was he even coming home? The questions came one right after another. More followed.
“That was one hell of a transfiguration demonstration,” Cedric quipped.
It was the perfect thing for him to say. She laughed and relaxed into him.
Cedric got Willow home and stripped her of her jeans and shirt. He left her lacy panties and matching bra on; loving the way it looked against her skin. And the way it abraded his. Though, that wasn’t what he had in mind at the moment.
“Don’t move or speak unless I tell you,” he rumbled next to her ear. He wanted her standing at the end of the bed, facing away from him. He kneaded her stiff shoulders. Ran his thumbs down her neck. Inch by inch, he made his way down her body, her body relaxing into his ministrations. Firm hands and light kisses. With a flick of the wrist, her bra came undone. He pushed the straps off her shoulders, and ran his hands under her arms, peeling the lace from her breasts. The garment dropped to the floor in front of her.
Cupping her breasts with his hands, he lifted them, squeezed them, and pinched her nipples. A soft moan escaped the back of her throat full of needy arousal and want. Flicking his nails over the buds, he didn’t stop until they tightened. She squirmed and shifted from foot to foot.
He leaned in and nipped her neck. “Uh, uh, uh. Good girls know to stand still like they were told. That’s the only way they’ll get more. You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Willow?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
His cock jumped in his jeans, making him wince in pain. His whole reason for keeping the damn things on was because Willow had had a bit of a shock at the celebration, and he wasn’t quite sure what was going through her mind. He could barely wrap his head around the fact that her familiar wasn’t a familiar after all. A small part of him wondered if the cat had been able to transfigure all along, or if it was because Cedric allowed him to siphon power from him. Or, maybe it was because Cedric and Willow were meant to be, and now that they were together, he was no longer needed. Too many questions with no answers in the foreseeable future. There would be time to figure that out later. Right now, he wanted to concentrate on the woman in front of him.
Sliding his hands down her sides and up her back, he massaged her tight muscles. As he got lower, her breathing picked up. When he reached the small of her back, he knelt behind her. He slid his thumbs under the waistband of her panties, gliding them back and forth. Lower and lower. He worked his way to the sides, hooking his thumbs and dragging them down her legs. He showered kisses over her buttocks, down her firm, rounded skin, and nipped the bottom where it met her thigh.
She squeaked but stayed her ground.
“Step,” he instructed, pulling the panties off one foot then the other, dropping them on top of the forgotten bra.
Skimming back up her legs with his hands, he stood, skating his hands over her ass, and then pressed on the small of her back, pushing her forward. “Put your hands on the end of the bed. Spread your legs.”
She adjusted her stance and popped up on her tiptoes.
“Damn, you’re beautiful.” He grabbed her by the hips and stepped up behind her, grinding his rigid jean-covered cock against he naked pussy. Fuck, it felt good. The rough fabric doing a number on both of them. Willow’s head dropped lower as she pushed back against him. She rocked in tiny increments up and down his length. If he wasn’t so intent on making it all about Willow relaxing, he would unzip his pants, whip out his dick, and ram into her in one thrust. Quick, hard, and deep. He wouldn’t stop fucking her until he came inside. Shoving in as far as he could get.
Forcing himself to take a step back, he dropped to his knees. Every inch of her pretty pink pussy was on display. He breathed in deep, allowing her sweet arousal to fill his lungs. Damn, her lust was intoxicating. He was driven to taste her. To feast on her flesh and drink her in.
He licked her slit from one end to the other. Swirling his tongue into her opening. He fucked her with it, then started all over again. Lick. Fuck. Lick. Fuck.
She whimpered and her legs began to shake. Finding her nub with his tongue he concentrated on it. Tonguing it. Sucking it. Then doing it again and again. She was getting close to coming and he wanted to feel the first fall. Easing one finger inside, he thrust it in and out.
She started pumping her hips, taking more and more of his digit. Her moans and whimpers turned to grunts and mewls. Adding a second digit, he increased the thrust and clamped his lips around her clit, sucking it hard.
She cried out, her pussy rippling and convulsing against his fingers. The muscles locked down in a bid to keep him embedded inside her.
Fuck, it was an overwhelming feeling.
He stood and ran a hand over her ass, pressing down on her lower back. He wanted her to stay in that position. With his other hand, he undid his jeans and zipper, shoving the pants down as far as he could.
His cock bobbed, and the feeling of freedom had his balls tingling. He pumped his dick a couple times, a bead of pre-cum escaping the tip. He guided it to her wet entrance, circling the outside with the head, lubing it slightly. He pushed in and she pushed back. He slid in deeper, basking in the excruciating slowness of their joining. The tight walls of her pussy sucking him in.
Pulling back, she whimpered and tried to follow. He gripped her hips and held her still. A grin curved his mouth. He wasn’t going anywhere. With just the head of his cock inside, he took a calming breath and thrust all the way in. Willow cried out with pleasure and then he was moving. Thrusting in and out, over and over again.
They worked together, their speed picking up. Her cries echoing throughout the room. He hunched over her, sliding his hands from her waist to her shoulders. He curled his fingers, gripping her hard and probably leaving bruises, but he was too far-gone to adjust.
“Fuck, yeah, Willow.” He grunted, slamming his hips against her. “Take all I’ve got, love.”
He was holding her up at this point, her hands no longer on the bed frame. He felt her hand between her legs. Stroking his dick for a second as it slid in and out. She rubbed her clit, and it didn’t take long for her to come. She threw her head back screaming his name and he tumbled right after.
Fingers locked onto her shoulder, he thrust into her one last time. The force of his orgasm shaking his legs and pulling his balls tight against his body. His energy drained from him in a heartbeat and his dick softened, slipping from her body.
Cedric tapped her lightly on the ass. “Go lay down.”
He stepped out of his jeans, leaving them in a pile at the end of the bed, then crawled up next to her, flopping onto his back out of breath. Willow curled into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. Her arm draped over his chest. Her fingers made patterns on his skin, sending a torrent of ridiculously happy feelings through him. He loved the fact she was a snuggler, even though he’d never been a fan of it before. Being with Willow wasn’t like anything he’d experienced ever before, but he knew it wouldn’t be.
She was his heart and soul. He could be himself around her and not that douche-bag guy everyone saw him as. He was able to show her who he really was. That he’d grown up and was finally ready to love her like she deserved.
She hummed and burrowed a little deeper after he managed to get the covers out from under them. Cool sheets covered them and almost every ounce of stress drained from his body. There was one thing keeping him from complete and total bliss.
“Is that a happy hum?” He asked into the quiet of the room.
“Uh huh.” She replied sleepily.
In the darkness, the soft glow of her moonstone started to grow brighter. Reaching over, he plucked it off her chest and felt the warmth begin to radiate down his fingers.
“Love?”
“Hmmm…”
“Why don’t you take this off?” He tugged lightly on the necklace she had been wearing around her neck for the past two weeks. He knew she hadn’t taken it off at any point, and he was more than ready for her to set it aside. She didn’t need it to see that he was in love with her. He’d told her and shown her in so many ways.
“Not until the solstice is over,” she mumbled.
“But you don’t need it. I think we’ve proven that.”
“Fantastic sex doesn’t automatically mean love of a lifetime,” she said, sounding not quite as sleepy anymore.
A part of him, his ego specifically, did a high-five at the fantastic sex comment. The other part of him wondered what else she needed to believe he was the one she was meant to be with.
She shifted away slightly and tilted her head up. A loud snap sounded in the room. Fireflies appeared out of thin air casting dim light throughout the room, enough to where they could see each other.
“In this case it does though,” he said, shoving to sit up against the headboard.
Willow followed suit, putting even more distance between them. She pulled the sheet to cover her breasts. “You don’t know that for sure.”
“Yes, I do. I told you the first day I came over that I loved you. We are meant for each other, Willow. Have been since we were five. And if you don’t believe that, then you need to listen to the moonstone. It heats to my touch. It reacts only to me. If you believe in Aphrodite and the gift she has bestowed upon you, you have to believe that I’m your fated mate.”
“Why? Because you showed up the day after my rite to the Goddess?”
Cedric had to think about that one for a moment. Saying yes would prove her point that they were together because of the moonstone, and she might never take it off. Saying no would mean explaining himself and trying to convince her he was sincere.
“You don’t even know what to say, do you?” Her lips thinned and a flicker of hurt drifted into her eyes.
“I do, but either way I have a fight on my hands. If I say yes, then you’ll believe I’m only here because of the moonstone and the rite. If I say no, then I have to explain how I planned on coming to your house to begin with and hope you believe me.”
She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.
He wasn’t a fan of the derision in that sound. “Who do you think got rid of Perry in order to replace him? That didn’t happen on a whim. I fixed him up with someone I knew he couldn’t resist and was there to ensure I was the man assigned to help you. I’ve been planning on finding a way back into your life after the royal fuck-up of a date. I missed you, Wills.”
Her eyes narrowed and there was a spark of distrust glittering in them. “You expect me to believe that?”
“You’re damn right I do.” He reached out and ran his fingers over the branches of her tattoo. “This tree that represents your family and is about you, the twists and dead-ends in your relationships. The deep, sudden turn leading to a new branch in your life. I hate to break it to you, but that’s us. Our fights and making up. The years when we didn’t talk or barely looked at each other. It’s time for the next step. A more intimate, caring step.”
“So, what you’re saying is that your plan was to seduce me and get me into bed to bring it to an intimate level.”
He laughed out loud. Long and hearty. “Oh, love, if my plan was to seduce you, I would have done so the first day. As egotistical as it may be, I’ve known you’ve had feelings for me for years. At any time I could have taken advantage of that, but I didn’t. And, do you want to know why?”
Willow shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
“I’m going to tell you anyway. Because I knew you would fall in love with me, and I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. I wasn’t mature enough to handle it. I am now. I’m ready for everything you’ll give me. Time. The pleasure of your presence. Your love. I want it all, and we can’t have that while you’re still wearing that necklace. You will never believe my declarations of love otherwise.”
“You’re right I won’t, and I’m not taking it off until after the solstice is over. It’s what I promised myself in order to give my deepest wish a chance.”
Cedric clenched his jaw to keep from saying something he shouldn’t. He also clenched his hands to keep from ripping that damn necklace off. She needed to see for herself that what he said was true. They were meant to be. Their lives intertwined from the age of five. That beautiful tattoo on her body represented them. Their journey. Whether she would ever adm
it that, he didn’t know.
Sucking in a huge breath, he climbed from the bed and pulled on his clothes. Willow sat on the bed; her eyes round with surprise. His heart ached with what he was about to do. But she needed to see that she needed him. Missed him. Goddamn, fucking loved him.
“This isn’t how I wanted the evening to end, I never planned on leaving your side, but I can’t stay here with you while you put more faith in that necklace than you do me. I’m here because I want to be, not because of Aphrodite or your moonstone.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jun 20th – Saturday
Willow strolled through the fields like she had done three days ago with Cedric, but it felt wrong. The fair-like booths, the sights, sounds and smells, the people milling about were all the same, but they didn’t hold the same appeal as before.
Nothing did actually now that Cedric was gone. A pang shot through her heart damn near crippling her. She reached for the necklace before she remembered she had taken it off. Never realizing how much of a crutch it had become in such a short time. Allowing her to use the excuse that it was the moonstone that brought him to her and never really letting her heart believe he wanted her of his own free will.
It didn’t take long to figure out the one thing she desired most in the entire universe—Cedric. But she managed to screw that up with little to no effort on her part. He had asked for one simple thing, for her to take the necklace off. He swore on his life his affection was solely his own. Aphrodite and the moonstone weren’t the causes of his interest, even though he had shown up the day after her rite.
She believed him…now. She didn’t quite know how to fix it though.
Sure, she could show up at his place, but then she’d have to contend with his heartbroken brother. And considering she may have broken his brother’s heart, there would be hell to pay. Or, lots of yelling and woman-bashing.
Willow: June Page 10