Chapter 8 Matthew
Matthew
“Cornelius? Why is the lady next door staring at me?” She was too—and giving me a glaring look.
“Is she even outside? That’s Mrs. Page, and she’s quite the busybody. Although I haven’t seen her in some time. I figured it was because it was winter and was so cold.”
Cornelius joined me at the window, and when he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his chin on my head, Mrs. Page’s eyes grew and she quickly rushed back inside.
“That’s odd. Although she’s only ever seen me and Balthazar here, so I’d imagine she might have thought we’d left and you moved in.
Are you ready for tomorrow?” Cornelius asked as his hands moved from my chest and ran down my arms, lacing with my fingers.
He brought both of our hands up, placing them on the cold pane of the window.
“Keep them there,” Cornelius whispered above me.
His hands left mine, and I felt him bend down, his mouth was nibbling on the point of my right ear, sending chills through my body.
“That feels so good,” I moaned out.
“Which is why I do it. Because I know you like it, and I want to do any and everything I can to please you,” Cornelius whispered before his teeth gently tugged on my lobe. My shirt was suddenly gone, and when I felt Cornelius press up behind me, his was too.
“What…what are you doing?”
“Mmm, I would think that was obvious, but if you have to ask, I’m failing miserably and must redouble my efforts in seduction.
” Cornelius’s arms wrapped around my chest while his lips pressed gentle kisses down my neck and across my shoulder.
When I felt Cornelius unbutton my jeans and his hand start to slide inside, we both heard a loud shriek from outside, pulling our attention to the house next door.
There on her porch was Mrs. Busybody, and she was shouting into the phone she was holding. I gasped while Cornelius laughed before picking me up and spinning me around and out of sight.
“Hopefully that will teach her to not be a peeping old lady.”
“What? You mean you did that just… I’m in need here, mate, and you were just teasing?” I asked, exasperated.
“Oh, my little fae. I wasn’t teasing at all. I have every intention of taking you to our bedroom and making slow, sweet love to you all night long. But there is no way I’d ever do such a thing where others could see you. You in passion is for my eyes alone.”
At Cornelius’s claim, my body heated again and I whimpered. We’d been mated for nearly two weeks now, but Cornelius had been very reserved with me since my fertile cycle. That he was mentioning his intent surprised me and ignited my body.
I squeaked when my mate picked me up and carried me up to our room. Cornelius meant it when he said he was going to spend all night making love to me. When we both were finally sated, it was the wee hours of the morning and we were just drifting off to sleep.
“We’ll leave this afternoon when we wake up, my love,” Cornelius whispered before I felt him kiss the top of my hair.
I was too relaxed and warm while cuddled up in his arms to do more than mumble in agreement.
I had the best mate, and after a week and a half of getting to know one another better, we were going to start our trip toward his coven in Amherst. I was excited to see the places he’d mentioned, but for now, sleep was calling, so I gave in and let sleep claim me.
When I woke, Cornelius was curled up behind me, but the light beyond the window looked dim and gray.
Either I hadn’t been asleep long, or it was another cloudy day in Montana.
It had snowed a lot recently, and although I had been excited to see snow, I hadn’t quite realized just how cold it was when your clothing became damp.
I tried to roll away from Cornelius, but his arm around my waist tightened, pulling me back into his chest. His hard cock pushed against my thigh, and I laughed.
“Let me up, silly. I need to pee,” I warned, and when I tried to roll away again, my mate let me go.
When I left the cocoon of our bed, I shivered at the difference in temperature.
With a thought, I was dressed in warm sweats and a thermal shirt as I padded barefoot to the bathroom to relieve my insistent bladder.
I heard Cornelius climb out of bed as I was finishing up and smiled at his grumbling. He was so darn cute.
“Between the dim light from the windows and the temperature in the house, I’d say it’s either snowing or was snowing. You have the right idea there, sweetheart.”
I winked at Cornelius as I turned and walked to the sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth. A quick glance at the watch on the counter told me it was just after one in the afternoon.
“We missed breakfast and lunch. You’re bad for my sleep schedule,” I teased.
“Aww, sweetheart, you weren’t complaining last night.”
I winked at Cornelius in the mirror as I brushed my teeth. I’d never complain. I was crazy about my warlock, and although I’d never heard of one being paired with a fae, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect mate for me.
I was rinsing my mouth when Cornelius started brushing his teeth. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my forehead on his back while I stood there, absorbing his warmth.
“You okay?” he asked after spitting out the foam.
Was I? Probably. But I’d noticed a dizziness the last few days, and I knew what I wished it meant, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up too soon.
In a few more days I’d be able to tell for sure, and although it was crazy fast, that was simply how we worked.
“I’m good. Just enjoying your body heat. Did you want coffee? I could really go for some tea.”
“Coffee sounds great, but just the one cup is good rather than the entire pot. Unless you no longer want to leave today? We obviously have time to make it to Glacier National Park. We’ll need to bundle up though.” Cornelius turned, and I loosened my arms before burying my face in his chest.
“I want to leave today. I’m excited to see all of the places you mentioned.”
“And I’m thrilled to be the one showing them to you. You’ll need to do a glamor though. I’m sorry, love. Your ears are—”
“I know. Too pointy. Some fae tend to have more rounded ears. But they also have someone along their family lines that wasn’t fae. I can’t remember anyone in my family anywhere that wasn’t fae.”
Cornelius ran his fingers through my messy mop and smiled when I looked up at him. I could stare at his gorgeous eyes all day.
“Is it an issue that you aren’t mated to a fae?”
I snorted. “Absolutely not. The only issue my parents would really have is that I’m no longer there to take care of the children they keep having. And Mom is pregnant again. Trust me, I am more than thankful for the gift that the fates gave me when they matched us.”
“Good. Will it tire you to keep the glamor in place? If you wear a hat, it can cover your ears so you won’t need to do one.”
“True, but I also add about ten years to my appearance. Otherwise people might call the authorities on you because we both know that I look less than legal.” I did.
All fae did until they were well over two hundred years old.
And at twenty-four, I still looked like a young teenager to humans.
Even Cornelius first thought I was a teenager walking down the street.
“That’s a good point. But it won’t tire you, will it?”
“No. It takes almost no energy to hold a glamor. Which is quite useful.” I kissed Cornelius’s sternum before I turned and walked away. If we were leaving today, we had lots to do.
“Okay, as we planned, we’ll share a bag since we both know we don’t really need it except for appearance’s sake,” Cornelius said as he walked out of the bathroom already dressed.
He was wearing a pair of very fitted jeans that showed just how fit he was.
As a warlock he was tall and slender, but he had very toned muscles that I knew were so much stronger than people would think.
That had everything to do with the fact that he was a warlock though.
“You look…wow,” I said as I stood there staring. He did too. Paired with his jeans were brown hiking boots and a thermal shirt and thick cable-knit sweater. He looked warm and cozy, and I glanced at the bed before looking back at my mate.
“None of that now, or we’ll never get out of here today,” Cornelius said with a wink as he walked over to the window and pulled the blinds upward. I looked out and saw snow piled on the bottom of the sill and dark, gray clouds hanging low in the sky.
“Is it still snowing?” Figuring I had magic and I should just use it, I cleaned myself up and dressed just as warmly as Cornelius before I walked over and joined my mate at the window. What I found had me gasping. It had definitely snowed. “Wow. How much do you think we got last night?”
“Not sure. Looks to be a good foot out there. Not to worry. Although we’re taking my SUV, we aren’t actually driving it to the park.”
“I know. It’s just so pretty. I thought I’d love to play in it and do all of the things I’d read about, but it’s so cold and hurts when my clothes get wet.”
“We need to get you some snow pants to protect your legs. Not only will they keep you dry, they’ll keep you warm and protect you from the elements. Then you can make as many snow angels as you want.”
That sounded perfect, and I smiled up at my mate. “Will I ever know all of these things that you do?”
“Give it time. You’ve not lived here very long. I’ve been here for almost three hundred.”
I grinned at that because my warlock was definitely older. “Does it bother you that I’m so young?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious about everything. Cornelius had to talk me through giving a blow job even.
“Absolutely not. I have to believe that I had several mates over the centuries, but for whatever reason, I never crossed paths with them because you were absolutely perfect for me in every way. There is a gap in our ages, yes. I’ve lived through a lot more shit than you have, sure.
But that doesn’t mean I’m ashamed of you or upset in any way that you’re still learning about certain things. ”
Cornelius ran his fingers through my curls before they trailed down the side of my face.
“You realize that there are many paranormals that love the idea that their perfect half is solely theirs, right? Myself included. And it’s certainly not fair and it’s probably an ego thing I’m sure, but I love that you have only known my touch, and that I’m getting to teach you about all the pleasures we can experience. ”
I smiled because it was reassuring. “I appreciate your patience. I want to please you.”
“You do, sweetheart. More than I can tell you. I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you. When I was younger I—”
“Nope,” I shouted as I slapped a hand over Cornelius’s mouth.
I absolutely did not want to think about all of my mate’s past bed partners.
Nope, not going there. “It’s you and me from here on out, and that’s good enough.
Now, we’re supposed to be going to Glacier National Park today, so feed me so we can leave.
I’m excited to see the glaciers and the lakes.
Not to mention the other beautiful views.
” I removed my hand and left the bedroom.
I wanted tea and breakfast. Technically it was after lunch, but I still wanted breakfast. I wanted something lighter first thing after waking up.
“Matthew, wait,” Cornelius called out from the top of the stairs as I reached the bottom. I stopped and looked back up at my mate, wondering why he seemed upset.
“What’s wrong?”
“I owe you an apology.”
I was confused. “Huh? Why?”
“Because I upset you. That wasn’t my intent, and I didn’t plan on bringing up previous lovers. And I am sorry I couldn’t offer being your first, the same as you did me.”
I rolled my eyes, turned around, and continued on to the kitchen. I wanted my tea, and I wasn’t going to stand there talking to my mate about how he was sorry about past lovers. It was unreasonable to expect a warlock that was almost three hundred to be a virgin.
My steaming cup of tea was waiting on the counter, and I quickly picked it up, wrapping my hands around the warm stoneware.
“Mmm,” I moaned when I took my first sip. Deciding I wanted fruit, yogurt, and scones, I conjured them as I climbed onto one of the stools that were on the far side of the counter, just outside the kitchen. “You joining me?”
“I’d love to. But you’re upset, and that bothers me.”
“No. I’m getting irritated though. Why is it that alphas always think omegas get pissed about hearing about their past conquests?
Fae don’t have sex until they find their mate.
But most of them find their other half by the time they’re fifty.
It’s unrealistic to expect you to have been a virgin, Cornelius.
I’m okay with the fact that you aren’t a virgin as long as you don’t compare me to others and definitely don’t talk about them while in bed together,” I snapped.
“Sorry, love. I swear, I won’t do that. And I mean it when I say none could ever compare to you,” Cornelius said as he walked up behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and pulling me back into his chest.
“I know. We’re still working on figuring everything out, and we’re a new couple. We’ll get there. But is there anyone I should be worried about back in your coven?” I’d thought about that a time or two in the past few days but hadn’t really had the courage to ask. Now seemed like the perfect time.
“No. I’ve not slept with anyone in the coven. You’re welcome to look if you want. That leads to issues more often than not.”
That was good to know. It wouldn’t really affect me as I was mated to Cornelius and we were it for one another.
We wouldn’t ever desire anyone else. We ate our very late breakfast, and after cleaning up everything and a quick, tearful goodbye to Aspen, we were on our way to our first destination: Glacier National Park.