Chapter 24
24
ROMAN
I have been bewitched. It doesn’t matter that there’s no magic involved, no potions to make me fall for Josephine. It’s happening because of who she is. Her sweet nature hides a fire underneath. There’s an apprehensive confidence that’s been growing steadily. She’s had her own trials, but they haven’t crushed her spirit. A month ago, I don’t know that I could have said the same for myself. After meeting Josephine, I’m optimistic for the first time in my memory that there’s more to life than the wheel I’ve been spinning on endlessly.
A shooting star arcs across the sky. Then another.
“Look.” I nudge my chin toward the sky, and Josephine’s head tips back. Her lips part at the sight, and it takes everything in me not to drag her into my lap and kiss her again. I’ve been hard since I had her pressed against the car. Being this close to her, having my hand in her lap, isn’t helping a damn thing.
“Wow, there must be a meteor shower tonight,” she says, setting her cup aside and moving the food so that she can lie down. I grab the extra blanket and shake it out, settling it over the both of us before I lay on my back beside her. I should be marveling at the show in the sky, but I close my eyes instead, relishing the heat from her body, the press of her hip to mine. Her hand falls to the blanket, brushing against mine. I thread our fingers together and just savor the feel of her.
“You’re missing it,” Josephine scolds, but there’s laughter in her voice. I open my eyes and take in the sight of her. Bundled up under the blanket, her hat pulled down low. How can she look so sweet and be so sexy at the same time?
“I’m soaking in every second.” My voice is rough with need. Josephine inhales sharply and turns her head to look at me. Whatever she sees has her pulling her hand away. I’m about to protest, but she presses up on her elbow and peers down at me.
She swallows thickly and clears her throat. “I’ve only had sex with one guy. Once. My curse had already set in, but it wasn’t like it is now. Still, it wasn’t great. But I do have access to the internet, so I might have some moves. I’ve just never used them on another person.” She drops onto her back and covers her face.
My chest rumbles with a chuckle, and Jo smacks my side. “I don’t know why I just told you that.”
“Are you saying you’ve watched porn?”
“That was not the point of that whole declaration,” she groans, her face still hidden.
I shift to my side, sliding my hand over her stomach. She’s covered in layers of clothing, but I find the gap between her pants and jacket to discover her bare skin. Josephine’s breath hitches, and my eyes nearly slide shut again. I angle my head, catching the lobe of her ear between my teeth and nip.
“Do you touch yourself when you watch it?”
“Do you?” Jo gasps.
I hesitate, but Josephine must sense the slight change in me because her face falls as she turns to look at me. We’re so close, the tips of our noses almost brush together.
“I haven’t felt touch, including my own, in a very long time.”
Jo makes a desperate sound. In the next second, her hands are cradling my face. Then her mouth is back on mine. She pulls away, her words rushing out. “Tell me what you want. Tell me how to make you feel good.”
I groan, clutching her hip and dragging her on top of me. “Everything you do feels good.”
Josephine kisses me, her hips rocking against my stiff cock. I unzip her coat, and she shrugs it to the side before we make quick work of my jacket. It’s too cold to be outside without clothes on, but right now, I don’t feel the bite of the frosty air. Only her heat.
Josephine slides down my body. She pushes up my shirt, her hands warm on my skin. I suck in a breath as she drops kisses down my stomach in a heated path. Her fingers fumble at the button on my pants, and she flicks her gaze up to look at me as though she’s waiting for confirmation. I push off her hat and run my fingers through her hair. She chases the touch with her eyes closed.
“I don’t think I’ve wanted anything as much as I want you,” I say, and I mean it. Yes, I wanted my curse gone for a long time, but Josephine isn’t just a cure. She’s sweet and funny and caring. When I’m not with her, I’m thinking about her. She’s gotten under my skin like no one ever has.
She sucks in her bottom lip, her eyes sparkling as she pulls down my zipper. I help her push my pants down my hips and then watch helplessly as she bends and licks at the tip of my cock. Her hand wraps around the base, and she drags her tongue up the underside, making it twitch, and a puff of air escapes my lips.
“Fuck. Do that again.”
Josephine chuckles and then follows orders, her hot mouth sucking on the crown when she reaches the top. I brush her hair back, holding it away from her face to watch every wicked flick of her tongue. Her lips surround me, her tongue stroking in a way that has my eyes rolling back in my head. Then she lowers her head and takes as much of my cock in her mouth as possible.
“Josephine, shit. That feels incredible.”
She hums, the vibration making me jerk and groan. Her head bobs, and she sucks me down over and over. With a grunt, I pull her off me.
“Hey, I wasn’t done.”
I chuckle and stand up, my pants halfway down my ass and my hard dick out to the night. I scoop Josephine up off the ground and set her on her feet. Grabbing her hand, I pull her back to the house while keeping my fucking pants from falling down.
“Where are we going?”
“I want you naked, and it’s a little too cold outside for that.”
She giggles as we dash inside. The master bedroom of the cabin is the main reason we bought the place. Windows make up the entire back wall and ceiling. You can lie down and see the stars through the glass without ever going outside. I pick up Josephine and toss her on the bed. She laughs and then gasps when she looks up and sees the night sky above her.
“Wow.”
I tear off my shirt and crawl across the bed until I’m hovering over Josephine. Her hands slide up my sides and over my pecs before looping around my neck. She leans up to press a kiss to the underside of my jaw, and her fingers tangle in my hair.
“If this is too fast…” I trail off, realizing that maybe she isn’t ready to have sex.
“It’s not.”
“Thank fuck. I was trying to be all respectful, but I don’t want to wait.”
Josephine’s laugh turns into a gasp when I kiss up her neck and then capture her mouth once again. There’s desperation in this kiss, and we suck, lick, bite at one another hungrily. I want to mark up her skin, leaving behind proof that I’ve been here. When she looks into the mirror tomorrow, I want her to remember everything I did to her tonight.
I only stop long enough to strip off her shirt. Her hands move to unhook her bra before I even get a chance. I smile into her neck before rasping my teeth over her skin. Her body arches into my hand as I drag it down her sternum. I cup her breast and suck the peaked nipple into my mouth.
Josephine murmurs soft words as she writhes beneath me. Her dark hair fans out on the pillow and her lips are full and red from our kisses.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whisper against her breast, my hands still learning the contours of her body. I sit up, pulling her leggings and panties off in one movement. For one brief moment, I’m lost to the sight of her splayed out before me.
“I’ve dreamed about this.”
Josephine reaches for me, pulling me back down on top of her. “It’s not a dream.”
I’m still not sure it isn’t. I slide my hand down her stomach, not stopping until I run a finger between her thighs.
“Love the feel of your skin. Love how fucking wet you are for me.”
Josephine groans, her hand slipping between us to wrap around my cock. “Please. I need you.”
My skin is on fire, and I feel slightly mad. I want to run my tongue all over her pussy, fuck her hard into the bed, and then do it all over again.
“I’ll take care of you,” I murmur, sliding down her body. Her legs fall apart, and I settle between them. Wrapping my hands around her thighs, I pull her into my face before dragging my tongue up her seam. Josephine moans, and I lose any sliver of control I was clinging to. I lap hungrily, soaking up her taste and the gasping sounds falling from her lips. Her hips buck, and her body twists. I know she’s close, but I don’t want her to come like this. I want to be deep inside her, feeling the squeeze of her body around me.
I slide up her body, taking in the dazed expression on her face with a smug grin. Josephine tugs my head down, kissing me until my fingers and toes are buzzing. My magic thrums under my skin in time with my heartbeat. The powerful hum of Josephine’s power intertwines with mine and I let out a low, desperate sound. I line up my cock, and sink into her with one long press. I try to keep the pace slow, letting her body adjust to the feel of me, but Josephine’s hands travel down my back, pushing at me.
“Move,” she demands on a throaty laugh.
“Just making sure you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.” She gasps as I thrust my hips, driving into her. I pull out and repeat the movement, gritting my teeth to keep from coming already.
“More,” Josephine moans into my ear. Her teeth sink into my shoulder, and then her tongue soothes the mark.
I growl, my hips snapping, pounding into her, eliciting cries of pleasure. The magic in my chest burns brightly, and I gasp at the feeling of Josephine’s magic weaving into mine. The sensation is stunning, and I don’t know what feels better. How our magic dances or the tight heat of her body taking all of me.
“Roman. I’m going to…” Josephine’s back arches, and she shatters.
I keep thrusting, grinding deeper as her body pulses around my cock. Nothing has ever felt this good. My body is shaking as my rhythm falters. I push in one more time with a groan. My orgasm barrels through me, ripping apart everything I thought I knew about myself until I’m left adrift with no idea who I’ve become.
The northern lights glow and pulse outside, but the real wonder is the woman beneath me.