Chapter 9 Pumpkin Spice
Pumpkin Spice
Sadie
Rowen’s hands were all over me as I jogged up the stairs to his apartment. They ran over my back and hips, squeezing my waist and skimming over my ass.
I shoved the door open and we tumbled into his living room. The familiar scent of him surrounded me, making my blood heat.
The door clicked shut and his hold on my waist tightened, dragging me back against him. We turned and he spun me in his arms, pushing my back against the door. The sudden movement made me gasp as his body pressed against mine.
For a moment we stayed like that, my back to the door, his bigger body hemming me in. My gaze traveled up his chest, over the lines of his neck, the edge of his jaw.
Rowen’s warm brown eyes darkened into a shadowed walnut as his gaze fixed on my mouth. I couldn’t get a full, deep breath, and the ragged rise and fall of my chest drew his attention lower. Slowly, Rowen licked his lips.
At that moment, I was so grateful I’d worn this dress—Rowen looked like he wanted to devour me, like he was the vampire instead of me.
My fangs ached and my skin tingled under his hungry appraisal. The air thickened with the charged feeling of magic.
His hand slid down my thigh and lower to the hem of my swing dress. When he paused, I had to bite back a whining groan. Enough noise escaped my teeth that his lips quirked into the smallest, devious grin.
“Rowen,” I pleaded.
“Sadie?” he asked, sounding far too cool and collected.
I was absolutely feral for this man. His self-control was pristine, and I wanted to tackle him and rip off his clothes like some sort of crazed succubus.
“Please.” My voice failed and the word was a hoarse whisper. My hands flexed against his chest, twisting the cotton of his shirt between my fingers.
“You’re so polite,” he purred, his fingertips sweeping just under the hem of my dress. That simple touch sent an intense wave of desire radiating out until I shivered with it.
“Rowen, if you don’t kiss me again, I’m going to bite you.”
How was that for polite?
He let out a soft, breathless laugh. “That’s not a very effective threat. You know how much I enjoy it.”
His hand pushed higher, his fingers and thumb gripping the side of my thigh tightly. My lashes fluttered, and I fought to keep my eyes on him.
“Rowen!” My voice broke.
His smile was sly. “You’ve been driving me crazy since the moment I saw you at that bar. I’m returning the favor.”
“You are insufferable,” I growled. “Literally the worst. I’ll find some way to pay you back for this.”
I tried to sound threatening, but the whine to my voice undercut my words. My fang pressed into my lip hard enough to pierce the skin, and a drop of blood welled up.
“Hey,” Rowen murmured, his teasing cockiness falling away. He reached up and wiped the blood away, his brows furrowing.
“Don’t worry about it, it happens,” I said softly, swiping my tongue over my lip to heal the tiny puncture.
Rowen held his thumb up, looking at my blood, like he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“Here,” I said, grabbing his wrist. Leaning forward, I closed my lips over the finger, sucking my blood clean. As I leaned back, Rowen’s eyes were black, and his lips parted.
“Fuck,” he growled, before dipping his head and kissing me. Clinging to him, I met his intensity with my own, the need to devour this man overcoming me.
His hands gripped my ass, lifting me until my thighs wrapped around his waist. He let out a groan against my lips, and I squeezed my thighs tighter around him.
Moving one arm around the small of my back, Rowen held me against him as he pushed off the wall and walked to his bedroom.
We fell onto the bed, and Rowen rolled so I was on top of him, my knees straddling him, my ass resting on the top of his thighs.
There was nothing tentative about this kiss. His lips pressed to mine hard, demanding. The slide of his mouth against mine was divine, sending sparks down my spine until my pulse throbbed in my core.
His tongue swept into my mouth, claiming me. His sweet taste flooded my senses, like a warmer, muted version of his delicious blood.
Everything went hazy; there was nothing but his mouth and taste and the feel of his hands on my skin. I ground down on him, unable to help myself. There was no missing the evidence of his arousal. I couldn’t wait to explore his body.
My thumbs dragged down his throat, and he let out a soft groan. Pausing, I savored the rumble of his chest against me. His kiss deepened, consuming me, as another growl vibrated from him.
I was obsessed with the noises Rowen made. I’d never had a boyfriend or even a hookup who expressed himself the way Rowen did. Every moan and whine hit me like an aphrodisiac.
“Can I touch you?” he murmured against my skin.
“Yes, please.” I didn’t care how desperate I sounded. I needed his hands on me, his mouth on my skin, and relief from the overwhelming craving for this witch that had plagued me from the minute I saw him across the bar.
He moved his mouth to my neck, urging a whimper out of me. It was a good thing we were at his apartment where there was no one else to hear us. His teeth dragged over my skin, teasing me, and I let out an embarrassingly loud moan.
“Angel, I’m going to make you come, and you’ll bite me as my reward,” he panted. “Okay?”
The only response I could manage was a whining noise. One of his hands slipped up the inside of my thigh, and my ability to speak dissolved into liquid heat.
His other hand held my waist, easing me back until I was upright, still straddling his lap. My hands went to his stomach, trying to steady myself as my breathing sped up and the room blurred around me.
As if our intimate position wasn’t enough, Rowen locked eyes with me. I dragged my lip through my teeth, unable to handle the intensity of his attention.
“Stay still for me, darling.”
As his fingers slowly trailed over the edge of my panties, my body tensed, my lips tightening into a thin line with the strain of not squirming.
Rowen watched his hand as he pushed the skirt of my dress back, giving him a view of my panties that were definitely wet. I didn’t even feel embarrassed, not after how he’d pinned me against that door and then carried me back to his bedroom.
His lips pulled into a satisfied smile as he slipped his fingers under the cotton until he felt the heat of me. I let out a strangled gasp, my nails scratching over his ribs as I jolted at his touch.
Making a shushing noise, Rowen stroked me for a moment, his touch gentle, before he slid a finger inside of me. My vision went white at the feel of him withdrawing and adding a second finger.
A string of curses slipped from my lips as I fell forward, more of my weight going to my hands pressed to his stomach.
“That’s it,” he murmured. “Ride my hand.”
His command sent a wave of need rushing through me, and tentatively, I rolled my hips, another moan escaping as he curled his fingers and thrust them deeper. The palm of his hand ground against my clit.
“Fucking hells, Sadie, you are so beautiful,” Rowen said. My eyes squeezed shut, the tenor of his voice praising me and the feel of his fingers overwhelming. “Please look at me.”
It took every shred of self-control, but I forced my eyes open and met his half-lidded gaze. Under me, his hips flexed, as if he couldn’t help himself. My movements were shaky, and as more praises slipped from his lips, my body tensed.
Holy shit, I’d never come this fast with a partner before, but there was no stopping it. My orgasm hit, my vision spotting as my body reeled, all-consuming pleasure exploding in every nerve.
Panting, I collapsed forward on his chest, and his fingers withdrew, his palm cupping my ass instead.
“You were incredible. That was so hot. I want to do that every single fucking day, morning and night, three times on weekends.”
Lifting my head, I gave him a wry grin. “You’re ridiculous.”
“No, I’m lucky,” he purred, his hands squeezing my ass as the other moved to my hair. His fingers threaded through my short curls, brushing them back and stopping at the nape of my neck. “Come here, baby.”
His kiss was sweet and tender, and my heart rate started to calm. Warmth swirled in my gut, my desire rising as a feeling of safety and belonging filled me.
“I think I owe you a bite. Maybe we could try it while you’re inside of me,” I whispered against his lips.
His abs tensed under me, a low rumble rolling out of him. “You want to?”
“Mmhmmm.”
“I didn’t even get you naked yet,” Rowen said, biting his lip as he toyed with the strap of my dress.
Giggling, I reached for my zipper along my ribs and slid it down. Rowen groaned as the dress loosened and he was able to lift it over my head. Grinning, I tossed the dress aside, letting him drink in the sight of me topless, in just the panties he’d already reached inside of.
“Sadie.” His voice was choked. “I didn’t think I would ever get to have you like this.”
My smile faded, my heart aching at the sincerity in his eyes. Reaching up, I brushed his hair back, trailing my fingers over his temple. Slowly, I curled over him, angling my face to kiss him.
Movement caught my eye.
A dark silhouette moved across the starlit window. It was small, too big to be a rat but too small to be a dog, and it moved in quick, jerky movements. I would have thought it was a cat, but it was too hunched and bristly.
“What in the unholy hells is that?” I yelped, grabbing for the duvet to cover myself.
The thing stared at me with luminescent, beady eyes, its entire body going stiff. It rocked on its paws and then fell back, legs straight up in the air.
Laughing, Rowen flopped back onto the mattress. “It’s just Ralph. You scared him, so he’s playing dead.”
“Ralph,” I said, keeping my eyes on it.
Climbing to its feet, the creature waddled forward into the dim light. A long pointy nose wiggled as its whiskers twitched. The fur was gray and spiky, lighter underneath, and four little black paws clawed into the rug as it neared the bed.
“Ralph is an opossum?” I said dumbly, alternating between glaring at Rowen over his lack of concern, and staring down the opossum.
“Yeah, he kinda came with the apartment.”
“Excuse me?”
“He was some great-grandparent’s familiar and they somehow made him immortal. Don’t ask me how. So he comes and goes as he pleases.”
Ralph climbed up the side of the bed, his little claws latching onto the blanket. He came over the edge, and I got a good look at him.
Once you got past the pointy teeth and a face the shape of a cheese wedge, he was kind of cute.
He curled up in the pile of blankets near Rowen’s legs. A rat-like bald tail curled around his small body, and I repressed a shudder.
“He’s harmless,” Rowen said, sitting up so he could scratch along Ralph’s back. The opossum blinked sleepily.
Slowly I reached out and stroked his back. His fur was softer than I expected, reminding me of my family’s shepherd when I was a kid. His ears were thin and soft, like a pig’s, and his nose was pink and round too.
The longer I looked at him, the cuter he became to me, and when he blinked up at me, I decided I liked him now that my initial shock had worn off.
“Aren’t you adorable?” I cooed, petting him again. He let out a purring trill. “So why is his name Ralph? That seems odd.”
“My grandpa said that was his original name, so that’s what I’ve always called him. But my grandma called him Sprinkles.”
“Sprinkles is a much cuter name for a bakery opossum,” I said, using my nails to scritch behind his ears. He rolled over so he could rub his cheek against my arm.
“I think he likes you a hell of a lot more than he likes me,” Rowen said, an easy smile on his face. “And just to be clear, he isn’t allowed downstairs.”
“Isn’t Rowen mean?” I said, my voice pitched high. “Keeping you out of the bakery kitchen.”
Ralph—-Sprinkles—rubbed his cheek against my arm again.
“You’re ridiculous,” Rowen said as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back to lie against him.
Ralph climbed over Rowen’s legs to curl up between us, half on my stomach and half on Rowen’s.
“So do you want me to kick the opossum out and we can return to what we were doing?” Rowen asked, his voice low enough to make the hair on my arms stand up.
It was damn appealing. Nibbling my lip, I stroked down Ralph’s back and he let out another trill. The warm opossum on my stomach and the hot witch wrapped around me was too cozy to resist.
“You wouldn’t dare kick Ralph out. He deserves cuddles. We can also do that stuff later,” I said, nestling closer against his side.
Rowen chuckled, shaking his head. “Did I just get cockblocked by my own damn opossum?”
“I’ll make it up to you,” I promised, leaning over to kiss his cheek.
“Stay with me today,” he said without hesitation, his expression serious.
My lips parted and I blinked at him, my hand freezing halfway down Ralph’s furry back.
“Um, can I? I mean, is your apartment safe for me, with the windows and all?”
Inside, I winced, frustrated I had to worry about things like sunlight instead of enthusiastically agreeing like I wanted to.
Rowen reached over, brushing my hair behind my ear, his fingers trailing over my cheek. “I installed UV filters to all the windows here and in the bakery. I wouldn’t go downstairs if you can help it, since the door can still let in light, but the apartment is totally safe for you.”
“You what?”
“I ordered UV-blocking film, the good stuff, and installed it on all the windows.”
“When did you do that?”
“A week ago, right after you started at the bakery.”
My mouth hung open. Those UV films were expensive. I planned to get some for my future apartment someday, and he’d installed them on the off-chance I ended up here.
“You were hoping I’d be here with you at some point?”
One shoulder rose and dropped, but he still didn’t look sheepish. His confidence unnerved me.
“I’d rather be safe than sorry. But yes, part of me was hoping we’d end up here like this.”
“And the other part of you?”
“Tries to be a rule follower.” Magenta hair fell over his brow as he bowed his head, a grimace lining his face.
Unsure what to say, I reached over and cupped his jaw, turning his face to me. My kiss was soft and thankful, and when we broke away, I let out a long sigh.
“Come here,” he said, setting an arm around my shoulders.
My eyes closed on instinct as I nestled into the crook of his neck. One leg draped over his, under the blanket, the steady warmth of him relaxed me from head to toe.
Ralph let out a snuffly snore, and I smiled against Rowen’s chest.
Normally, I’d be finishing up work and preparing for the long drive back to the motel, but staying right here in his apartment seemed like a much better use of my time.
Sleepily, Rowen said, “I’ve got some of Amelie’s old clothes, an extra toothbrush, stuff like that. You should be fine to stay as long as you like.”
“Careful, you won’t get rid of me,” I muttered, not thinking through my response as sleep pulled at me.
His response reached me slowly, the words blurry as I drifted off.
“That’s what I’m hoping for.”