Chapter 25 #2
“That’s why it feels so good,” she moaned, and my dick jumped about a mile.
How pissed would the sirens be if I fucked her in this pond?
I was in the mood to sully some sacred waters.
Breathing underwater would also come in handy for what I had planned for that mouth.
Fuck! That was not what today was about.
I had everything arranged, and her birthday present did not include my dick down her throat.
I tried to steer my mind away from the blasphemous thoughts.
“Is this my present?” she asked, the scales on her cheek shimmering as she tilted her head.
I scoffed, insulted. “This is the most basic of necessities I’m obligated to provide for you as your bond. Hell no, this isn’t your present.”
What kind of gifts had she gotten in the past that made her accept anything but the truly extraordinary? She deserved things that sparkled, meaningful memories, and copious amounts of orgasms.
“Either me, Kai, or Eryn will bring you here every day,” I promised, slowly towing us back to shore before I lost control and made good on that last promise right against the tree. “I’m sorry that it took so long for me to show it to you in the first place.”
“It’s okay,” she said, crawling out of the pond beside me. “I knew you were busy.”
But it wasn’t okay. Nothing was more important than her health and happiness; I didn’t care what my aunt claimed.
I would do better, I swore it. On hands and knees, we shimmied up the slight embankment and fell onto the warm grass with satisfied groans.
The sun baked us almost immediately, rapidly turning my soaked clothes damp in less than an hour.
Before all that creamy skin could flirt with a sunburn, I nudged Rani from her dozing and led her on an easy walk back to the cottage. A couple sandwiches and a bottle of water were exactly what the afternoon called for. Followed by a nap for my sleepy bond and some quick magick for me.
Her birthday was far from over, and I had plans. By the end of the night, Rani Whitmore’s heart would belong to me.
How the fuck did this girl sleep through everything ?
I was intentionally loud in the kitchen while loading the dishwasher, the timer on the oven screeched for an extra ten minutes while I moved the cookies to a cooling rack, and even the scent of chocolatey goodness right below her nose did nothing. Nothing!
The sun had long ago set, cooling the air and allowing a fresh breeze to circulate through the still-open French doors. Rani slept soundly, limbs twisted at strange angles with a line of drool leaking out the corner of her mouth. I guess she really needed that nap.
Setting the plate of cookies on my untouched pillow, I gently brushed the hair from her face.
“Baby, if you don’t get up, I’m going to eat all of these and leave you none.”
Still nothing. Well, she couldn’t say I didn’t try the nice route first. I gave her one more minute to rouse, then pulled the comforter away and landed a well-earned smack right on her beautifully bouncy ass cheek.
That did the trick. Rani sprang up like she was zapped with a live wire, hands already curled into claws, ready to rip my throat out.
“I’m going to kill—Oh, cookies.”
“ Chocolate chip cookies,” I confirmed. “Your favorite.”
She glared at me while nibbling on one, the warm, melty offering the only thing keeping me from a bloody and painful death. I slowly removed the plate and backed away from the bed, but not before she snatched two more. Her eyes tracked me and the remaining treats as I took calculated steps back.
“Is this my present then?” Melted chocolate stained the corner of her mouth.
I shook my head, way past trying to understand her inability to recognize a quality gift. “Put on something warm and meet me out back.” Her eyes narrowed when I disappeared down the hall.
“Bring back my cookies!”
“They’re with me! Out here! Where I told you to come!”
The sounds of her grumbling carried out the doors and around to the back of the cottage where I waited.
My heart thumped hard, skipping beats. What if she didn’t like my surprise?
I looked down at the plate of cookies, and the burst of excitement I felt from her when she saw them.
It wasn’t exactly a high bar to make her happy.
She’s going to fucking love it.
Five minutes later, Rani came stumbling out the back door in some dark leggings, with her head and one arm stuck in a sweater.
She wrestled with the green material, but swiftly got everything settled and glared at me expectantly, hand out.
With a chuckle, I gave her the plate and gestured for her to follow.
The walk back to the pond felt shorter than it had this afternoon.
That had to be my nerves. Last-minute anxiety punctured my confidence as I pictured her unimpressed reaction to my surprise.
I’d put a lot of thought into this. It was originally a plan I came up with for the pool behind the beach house.
All the supplies were ordered that first night, and then stored in the front closet where I could make sure she wouldn’t snoop.
Of course, that was before I realized Rani was terrified to go near water.
The setting was a little different now, but the idea stayed the same.
When the ground began to slope, I looked back to catch her reaction.
Her eyes were still locked on her diminishing plate of cookies, but she’d notice the glow soon enough.
Right before the ground usually got soggy, Rani glanced up, and a chunk of cookie fell out of her mouth.
Speechless. Her wide eyes, parted lips, and excitement racing down the bond were exactly what I needed to chase my insecurities away. I knew it. She fucking loved it, and she didn’t even know what I had planned.
I watched her take in the string lights woven around the branches of the willow tree and the blankets folded against its roots.
The lights gave off just enough glow to reflect off the frozen surface of the pond, and I walked onto it with confidence, showing her how far down my magick went; just enough to safely support us during tonight’s activities.
“You froze the pond,” Rani gasped, and took a tentative step closer.
Once she realized the edges were rough enough to provide traction for her sneakers, she walked over to me with more certainty.
The closest string light burned a dull gold against the crown of her head, making those fiery highlights pop.
Her eye caught on the box lying near the blankets, and her brow rose.
“I finally get to look inside?”
My smile was wide and a little pleased. “Happy birthday, babe.”
She needed no further encouragement. Rani tore into the taped box with gusto and peered inside. Her breathy inhale once she saw the contents went straight to my dick. Finally, tonight’s surprise was revealed. She pulled out the pair of ice skates with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.
I patiently waited for her to slip them on and lace them up, then helped her stand and glide to the center of the pond.
The branches of the willow reached a quarter of the way across, and I’d placed the largest bulbs on the very end in an effort to stretch the light.
The results left a darker patch on the far side, but it was still safe enough to navigate.
If anything, the shadows were intimate and private; a pocket for dirty secrets and mischievous play.
“Have you ever skated before?” I asked, releasing one hand to see how she balanced.
There was a bit of a wobble, but I think it had more to do with a rough patch of ice than her skills on a blade. I pushed a small wave of power all the way out to the edges, smoothing the surface and strengthening any spots that might have weakened since the initial freeze.
Rani felt the burst of magick and smiled.
I held her hand as she started a slow glide and followed her as she picked up speed.
Rather than keep my grip and hold her back, I let go and reveled in her laugh of freedom.
Seeing her at home on the water, open and happy around my magick, I felt like this was a present for me as much as it was for her.
I kept to the middle, spinning to keep her in my sights as she twirled around me. Faster she went. Picking up speed, I watched her make a little hop that stopped my heart before landing on one skate with a rambunctious giggle.
“Okay, that’s enough of that,” I called, but she was already whipping past me, more giggles trailing on the wind.
The shlick of her blades carving through the ice was as loud as my pulse in my ears. The endless ways she could hurt herself looped in my head as Rani made another circuit.
“Slow down, right now, before I make you.”
She stuck out her tongue, and the sound of her blowing raspberries registered seconds after she passed me.
“Don’t make me melt a hole in this ice!”
Now that she wasn’t afraid of water and I had no worry for her drowning, I’d dunk her ass if it stopped her reckless behavior and kept her from breaking her neck. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea; dunk her, soak her, then take my time warming her up.
When she came back around again, I was ready.