“Oh god,” she gasped. “I missed this so much. I never want to feel that empty again.”
His hug tightened as he buried his face in her hair. “I’ll never make you. This is my heaven, and I won’t risk it again.”
Only part of her believed him. The other part remained terrified he’d eventually leave her—a chance she was willing to take if that was the price of admission to his heaven.
Already missing his face, she uncurled and stretched, kissing her way to his mouth. His palms slid to her butt, squeezing and pulling her closer, and her temperature spiked as sensitive areas pulsed.
All too soon his hands returned to her hair, and she murmured an objection, her abandoned backside shifting as she nuzzled a leg between his thighs. He groaned, tensing as he untangled his fingers from her hair. Then he clutched her hips and held them still.
She let his lip slip away, pouting as she found his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “but now’s not the time to test my restraint.”
She wiggled from his hands and kissed his neck, keeping the rest of her body still, but when she thought she had him fooled into thinking she’d be good, she moved against him, cuddling his groin with her thigh.
She felt him thicken, but he quickly grasped her hips and pushed them away. “Not now,” he refused.
She huffed into the base of his throat then curled up on his chest, frustrated her attempt to seduce him had failed, and embarrassed she’d tried.
He released her hips and stroked her hair. “It’s not like I don’t want to.”
“I know.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. This is perfect.”
His heart pounded against her lips, its swift beats fluttering the tip of her tongue.
“Come on, Layla Love,” he coaxed. “I want to fix it, but I can’t until I know what’s going on.”
She sighed and turned her head, letting his heart hit her cheek. “It bugs me that you have all the power and I have none.”
His pulse mellowed as his tension eased. “You do have the power,” he disagreed. “I hold very little.”
“Yeah right,” she smirked.
“It’s true,” he insisted. “If I held the power, I would have taken you to bed the night I met you. It’s the power you hold that keeps me from misbehaving.”
“That doesn’t make any sense, Quin.”
“Sure it does. When you press yourself on me, it gets me more worked up than I’d ever been before you came along. I can’t imagine how wonderful it will feel to take things where I want them to go, and I refuse to mess it up. I won’t risk belittling what could be the most amazing moment of my life by giving into sudden urges.”
And with that, he’d managed to ease her insecurities. “When you put it that way, maybe I do have a little power.”
“I’m telling you, Layla, you have it all.”
“Hmm... Since I have all the power, answer a question for me.”
“Shoot.”
“What are you waiting for?”
“You,” he answered, brushing his thumb across the tip of her nose. “When you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
“What if I said I’m ready now?”
He laughed, and she scowled as she lifted her head from his rumbling chest.
“What?” she demanded.
“You’re not ready,” he replied.
“How would you know?” she challenged.
He stifled another laugh as he raised an eyebrow. “Tell you what—stand up, strip naked, then stand there for more than five minutes while I stare at you from every angle. If you can do that, I’ll believe you’re ready.”
Her scowled deepened as her face burned. “That’s not fair.”
“Yes it is,” he disagreed. “Some men might take a woman before getting familiar with her body, but that’s not me. As long as you’re uncomfortable, I’ll be uncomfortable, and I don’t want it to be that way.”
“Oh,” she breathed, dropping her forehead to his chest.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her up his body. He rested her cheek on his shoulder. Then he tucked his chin in and found her eyes. “Tell me why that bothers you.”
“Because I don’t know how to fix it.”
“You don’t have to fix it. It will fix itself. And I don’t mind waiting. I enjoy every minute I’m with you. There’s no reason to crash land in a rush to reach our destination.”
“You’ll get bored,” she whispered, hating the thought so much it brought tears to her eyes.
“Nuh-uh,” he countered, touching his forehead to hers. “Never. I would live a celibate life before giving you up.”
She wrinkled her nose as she ran a hand down his hard stomach. “A celibate life sounds like an awful waste of such a fine man.”
“It sounds like more than I deserve,” he returned, pulling his shirt up.
She beamed as she flexed her fingers over his abs, and he smiled as he touched her curved lips. “We’ll get there,” he assured, “sooner than you think.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it,” she said, reaching for a dimple, but he grabbed her hand, narrowing his eyes on her chewed fingernails.
“What’s this?”
She shrugged and tried to pull her hand away, but he held firm.
“You made yourself bleed,” he disapproved.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she returned.
He closed his eyes and sighed. Then he soberly met her stare. “Don’t do this to yourself again. Next time you want to make someone bleed, come see me.”
She raised an eyebrow and smirked. “What are you, the fingernail police?”
“No, but I don’t want you reducing your beautiful nails to bloody stumps, so don’t. If you need something to bite, I’ll give you mine.”
“Gross,” she objected.
“I’ll clean them first,” he offered, turning his attention to her nails. “May I smooth them for you?”
“Do you carry a file in your pocket?”
He smiled and winked. “Don’t need one.”
“Oh yeah,” she laughed, rolling her eyes. “Go for it.”
“May I make them longer?”
“Can you?”
“You’re funny,” he teased.
“I’m new,” she returned, wrinkling her nose.
“You’re perfect,” he countered. “So may I fix your nails?”
“Go for it, but don’t go crazy. Just put them back the way they were.”
“That’s exactly where I want them to be,” he agreed.
Layla raptly watched him repair her nails with soft kisses, but when he reached for her other hand with a scorched palm, she dropped her ashamed gaze. “Magicians can heal their own bodies, right?”
“Sure, but don’t try to heal yourself yet. It’s complicated magic and a lot could go wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
He completed his task. Then he kept her pinky pressed to his bottom lip as he explained. “Well, it’s one thing to heal skin lacerations, muscle strain and fingernails, but when it comes to repairing internal injuries we need a thorough understanding of the human anatomy. If we don’t know what purpose the body part serves or how it’s supposed to be positioned, we can’t make it right. I’m sure you can imagine the consequences of repairing a torn ligament when you don’t know where it should be attached.”
“I see. Do you know all that stuff?”
“I have general knowledge of the subject, but no, I’m not what magicians would call a healer. Bones and muscles I can handle, but vital organs would scare the hell out of me.”
Layla bit her lip. Then her cheeks warmed as she pulled his burnt palm from her wrist. “So why hav
en’t you healed this?”
A long moment of silence passed. Then he turned his palm into hers. “Would you like to heal it for me?”
Layla looked up, catching sight of his concerned aura before finding his tender gaze. “I don’t know how,” she squeaked, fighting remorseful tears.
“Don’t cry,” he insisted. “It’s unnecessary.”
“I’m so sorry, Quin. I shouldn’t have done that, and I’m so sorry I did.”
“I deserved it.”
“No you didn’t.”
He raised his hand and flexed his fingers. “Yes I did, and I’m glad you did it. Why do you think it’s still there?”
She scowled at the wound. “You intend to keep it?”
“No, but I would have. Consider it a token of my transgression. Now that I have you back, I’m more than ready to get rid of it.”
“You should have gotten rid of it right away,” she scolded. “And if you want to get technical about it, it’s more like a token of my transgression, a reminder of the horrible thing I did.”
He smiled as he smoothed her forehead. “I can see I’m not going to get you to agree with me, so how about we make this issue go away?”
“Please do.”
She started to climb off him, but he pulled her back down. “Where are you going, Layla Love?”
“I’m moving so you can heal your hand.”
“I don’t like that idea. How about you stay put while I heal my hand?”
“Oh. I thought you’d need your other hand.”
“Nope.”
“Then what are you waiting for? Chop, chop.”
He laughed as he looked at the burns, and less than a minute later he was back to normal. He flexed and wiggled his fingers. Then he grinned as he slipped his palm under her shirt.
“Mmm...” he murmured. “I don’t know about you, but I’m all better.”
His fingers drifted from her back to her side, tickling and making her giggle. Then his caress softened, spreading goose bumps from her head to her toes.
Warmth flooded her veins as desire flared, and her cheeks caught fire. It was one thing to be aroused by his deep kisses and adventurous hands, but to be turned on by something as simple as his fingers on her side made her feel foolish. And he was looking right at her, aware of her reaction. His lips curved toward dimples, like he was humored and indulged; and his halcyon eyes were glued to hers, portraying his pleasure.
She slid her fingers to his face, smiling as she traced faint laugh lines. “I’m much happier when you’re here, Quin.”
“Good, because I’ve been miserable without you. It was twenty-three hours of unsettling turmoil, the worst of my life, and I have no intention of repeating them.”
“I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”
“Nuh-uh,” he countered, laying his thumb on her lips. “This one rests on my shoulders, so I get to make amends, not you.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked, propping herself up on his chest. “How will you do that?”
“I’ll show you, but for now, consider me your genie. Your wish is my command.”
“Anything?” she asked, flashing a grin.
He raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Within certain lines that have already been drawn, yes.”
She glanced from his eyes to his lips, recalling how flexible his lines were, and her heart quickened, yearning for the one wish he wouldn’t give her. But she was done throwing her blushing body at him. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Quin.”
He laughed and grasped at the air around her. “Hard to do when your aura looks like that.”
Without meaning to, she sucked the haze in, and her muscles tensed as she averted her gaze.
Quin frowned, his heart squeezing as it jumped toward the disappearing aura. “Please don’t do that,” he whispered.
“I didn’t mean to,” she mumbled, but she didn’t release the mist.
Quin ran his fingers into her hair, gathering it in one hand so he could see her face. “I know you didn’t mean to, and it breaks my heart your natural reaction is to hide from me. You’re really good at it now, and I know that’s probably a dream come true for you, but it makes me sad. Concealment spells can be useful, but you shouldn’t hide your soul from the people who care about you.”
She released the emotions, filling the atmosphere with a radiant rainbow. “It does feel better when it’s out,” she confessed. “When it’s not embarrassing me.”
Quin examined her colors, seeing how much he needed to repair and how much she feared the situations she faced. But there was also an abundance of wonderful things. She was more hopeful than she liked to admit, and she held an immense amount of love for the people she’d just met while maintaining an ardent affection for the loved ones from her past, both living and dead. But all that intense fear, enduring hope and powerful love was a drop in the colorful ocean that was her aura, a mere fraction of what her soul was made of, a breathtaking piece of the whole beautiful package. Her capacity to feel was astonishing. She held so many emotions, it was no wonder they ran away with her.
He looked from her bright aura to her emerald gaze. “You’re a lovely person, Layla. I wish I could show you your aura. I think you’d be impressed.”
“I’d rather look at yours. It’s my favorite. Children’s auras, too. There’s something very peaceful about them.”
“Yes,” he agreed, “they’re hypnotic in some ways, exhilarating in others. Sometimes it’s hard to look away.”
“That’s a perfect description,” she approved. Then she grinned and tapped his chin. “Weren’t you about to give me anything I want?”
He took her pinched cheeks in his palms, reveling in her enthusiasm. “Yes I was.”
“Good, because I want you to hand me a cup of coffee.”
“What?” he laughed. “I grant you unlimited wishes and you ask for coffee?”
“Not just coffee. I want you...” She patted his chest. “...to hand me a cup of coffee.”
“You want me to hand you a cup of coffee.”
“Yes.”
His smile faded as he searched her eyes. “May I ask why?”
“It’s kind of dumb.”
“I doubt it.”
She looked down and fidgeted with his shirt. “Well, while I did appreciate the coffee this morning, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.”
“Ahh,” he whispered, catching the underlying meaning. “Guess I owe you a cup of coffee.”
“I wouldn’t say you owe me, but I’d appreciate a replacement cup.”
“I’ll get your coffee,” he agreed, urging her gaze back to his, “on one condition.”
She gasped as her eyebrows shot up. “You’re putting conditions on coffee? There should be a rule against that.” She searched the circular room. “Yes, I’ll have to post a sign. No Holding the Coffee Hostage!”
He laughed as he nuzzled her neck. “Fiend.”
“Better state your condition,” she warned. “If you don’t tell me by the time I finish my sign, you’re out of luck.”
“You have to come up with something harder,” he stipulated. “That’s my condition, because getting coffee isn’t my idea of atonement.”
“Okay. You get my coffee, and I’ll brainstorm while I make my sign. Should I hang it on the front door so everyone knows the rule before they come in?”
He laughed as he wrapped his hands around her waist, lifting her with him as he stood. Then he took her hand and led her downstairs. “That might get their attention, but what if we paint it on the outside of the house? Or we could hang a sign over the stairs, like a place of business.”
“Interesting, but we need something that will ensure nobody misses it.”
“Of course,” he mumbled, putt
ing some serious thought into it. “How about neon?”
“Excellent,” she commended. “That will burn the rule right on their eyelids. Very clever.”
She halted at her bedroom door and turned into him, touching her lips to his heart for five fantastic beats.
“I need to use the bathroom,” she said, hovering to his jaw. Then she kissed twice before floating away.
Quin reached up, touching his tingling face. Then he backtracked to the other bathroom, determined not to waste one second of his time with her.
Chapter 21
The master-bath faucet came on as Quin headed for the kitchen, so he thought he had plenty of time to get Layla’s coffee ready, but his intentions were halted when Caitrin’s mental voice resounded in his head.
“Damn,” Quin whispered, glancing toward the bedroom.
He blocked Caitrin from his head then walked to the foyer, his jaw achingly tight as he opened the front door.
Shoulders squared, Finley stood on the threshold, his aura nowhere to be found.
Quin glanced past him, throwing a reproving look at Caitrin, who glared back, clearly displeased as he paced near the entrance to Layla’s garden. Ten more family members hovered nearby, their eyes trained on the visitor.
“Wondering why your guard dogs let me in?” Finley asked.
Quin heard the bedroom door open and took a calming breath. “Layla?”
“Yeah?”
“You have a visitor.”
“Oh yeah? Who?”
Quin forced himself not to spit the name. “Finley.”
“Who?” she repeated, rounding the corner, and Quin stepped aside, revealing her guest.
Layla halted, her aura retracting as she stared at Finley in shock. She couldn’t believe the coven let him in. “How did you find me?”
“Actually,” he answered, lazily pointing a thumb at Quin, “I had to find him. No one seems to know a thing about you.”
Quin’s muscles twitched, but he stayed silent, staring at the visitor so coldly Layla half-expected Finley to freeze.
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