Chapter 31
31
JOSEPHINE
I wake up slowly. Everything aches, and I can’t remember how I got into bed. Even opening my eyes takes effort, so I leave them closed and take stock of my body. That’s when I notice something is off. The warm scent that surrounds me is not from my bed. I run my hand down my side and find that I’m not in my pajamas. I’m in constricting clothes that I wouldn’t choose to wear on a normal day, much less to bed.
“Jo? Are you awake? I think she’s waking up.” The bed dips beside me, and Pen’s frantic voice grows closer.
“Penelope?” My voice is rough.
A hand lands on mine, and I snatch it away, only to realize it’s Roman. My eyes fly open and dart around the room—a room that isn’t mine. Dark gray walls, black-and-white photography, and a massive bed that screams masculine fill the space. I must be in Roman’s bedroom.
So is Penelope.
My sister is sitting on the bed beside me. She’s far enough away to make sure she doesn’t touch me, but still manages to hover.
“What happened?” Even as I ask, memories come rushing back.
Dinner at my parents’ house. The library. My mother, my father, and Camille. Fuck. The siphoning spell in the grimoire. I groan and pull at my dress.
“Those assholes touched you until you passed out,” Penelope snarls. I’m not about to curb her cursing. She’s twelve, not five, and she’s not wrong either.
I snap up to a seated position, almost slamming my head against Roman’s. He moves out of the way a second before our skulls crack together.
“Whoa.” His hand lands on my shoulder, and he squeezes. “What just happened?”
“Pen. Mom is going to kill you. Shit.” I turn to Roman. “Why would you take her out of there?”
“She’s not going anywhere. If we have to hide her away until she’s eighteen, we will, but I’m not going to let her go back into that home. Just like you’re not going back to work.”
“First of all, don’t tell me what to do.” Penelope snickers beside me, but I ignore her. I’ve spent my whole life having people bosoms around. I’m not going to let Roman take over for my mother.
“Secondly.” I grab Roman’s face and pull him down for a kiss. I don’t care that my sister is making gagging noises. She can turn her head away.
I’m not an idiot. He got me and Pen out of my parents’ house. If he hadn’t taken my sister with us, she’d be vulnerable. I’d be vulnerable. My mother would use her as leverage against me, but more than that, she could hurt her.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips.
Roman grabs hold of my hand, brushing his thumb against the back of it. “I’d say anytime, but I never want that to happen again. I have some ideas about what to do next, but let’s get the both of you settled, and we can talk everything through later.”
I look over at Penelope and find her shoulders drooped and her overly tired eyes sporting a glassy look. “Are you okay staying here for the night?” I stop and look at Roman with a frown. “Is it okay for us to stay here tonight?”
“We’d have a problem if you tried to go anywhere else.”
Pen snorts, and Roman gives her a sly grin. “Here’s the deal. I’ve got a spare room that Penelope can stay in. There’s a TV, every streaming service known to man, and a private bathroom. Odie’s got some extra clothes here that you can use for pajamas, assuming you don’t want to sleep in your dress.” Roman cocks his head as if he’s only now seeing what Pen is wearing. Our mother is holding on to some odd notion that she’s still a child and has her dressed up like the Von Trapp family. It’s ironic, really, because that’s the only way she treats Pen like a child.
“Is it okay if I go show Penelope everything?” Roman looks to me for permission, and I turn to look at Penelope.
“Throw some snacks in, and you’ve got a deal,” she says.
“That can be arranged.” Roman dips his head and stands from the bed. He doesn’t get far before he leans down and presses a kiss to my forehead.
I will not swoon.
I swoon a little.
“If you want to shower or get cleaned up, the bathroom is right through there. Feel free to rummage around in the drawers and find something to wear.”
“You’re going to let her search through your drawers? What if she looks at all your underwear?”
I slap a hand over my face. “Pen. Seriously?
Penelope snickers. How are we from the same family? This kid has no filter. Actually, I’m kind of proud of that. My mother sucked all of my curiosity and silliness out as a child. I know Penelope hasn’t had it easy, but I like to think I’ve helped protect her from the same upbringing that I’ve had. Maybe it’s not too late to get her out before she loses her spirit.
“Josephine can do whatever she wants. My house is her house.”
My cheeks heat, and I almost sigh, but I manage to hold it in. Roman leaves the room, and Penelope follows. Just before she walks through the door, she turns to gape at me. Her eyes are wide. She mouths, “Holy shit.” I roll my eyes at her when she gives me a thumbs up.
Despite Roman’s invitation to root around in his drawers, I only open a few until I find a T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. I head to the bathroom and take off my party dress and the stupid fucking shapewear. I exhale and let my skin breathe for a minute before I turn on the shower.
Everything in here is just as dark as the bedroom, with slate tile and a shower that’s completely surrounded by stone. There are multiple shower heads, and the water pressure puts the shower in my apartment to shame. I could probably stay here for an hour, but I'm too anxious to linger.
I wash up, towel off, and drag on Roman’s clothes with heavy limbs. I’m still tired and achy from the incident in my parents’ library. Although surprisingly, I feel better than expected. Normally, I’d be out for at least a day with no energy to get out of bed. Not that my fatigue stopped my mother from forcing me to go to work and meet with clients.
Money doesn’t care if you need a sick day.
Still, the accelerated healing is puzzling. It was the same the night of the new moon ceremony. I press a hand to my chest where my magic thrums brightly. It’s almost as if being close to Roman has boosted my magical strength. I’ve not heard of that happening before between witches, so maybe I’m just imagining it.
Roman’s sitting on the edge of his bed when I exit the bathroom. His hands are braced behind him, and his long legs are stretched out. He’s wearing his signature three-piece suit, but he ditched the jacket at some point, and his sleeves are rolled up. He has some dark scruff on his jaw and looks like absolute sin.
Meanwhile, my hair is hanging down my back in a wet braid because I didn’t have a brush. I didn’t have a bra to put back on, and the T-shirt isn’t hiding the fact that I’m chilly. Roman’s shorts are long enough that they hang to my knees. All around, I’m sure I look like a hot, sloppy mess.
“Come here,” Roman commands, eyeing me like I don’t look ridiculous but beautiful.
“You’re very bossy tonight.” My words say one thing, but my feet move on their own, taking me closer to him. He doesn’t move his hands, but he shifts his legs, spreading them so I can stand in between his thighs.
Roman inhales, and then slowly releases the breath. “I’m struggling.”
I step forward until my thighs press against his. Roman’s eyes search my face, the gray reminding me of a storm rolling in. He sits up, his hands landing low on my hips before circling my waist and then pulling me in for a hug. His head presses against my chest. I close my eyes and thread my hands through his hair before wrapping them around the nape of his neck. The heat from his body feels amazing, but his embrace is everything. The sense of well-being that washes over me is staggering.
“I hate that your family does this to you. I don’t want you to go back to them.”
I hold him closer, dragging my fingers through his hair. “In the past, it was just normal, you know. I knew it wasn’t the way things should be, but I’ve been stuck. Have you ever had a problem and it feels like there’s no way out. That the harder you try to solve it, the deeper in the mess you get?”
Roman makes a sound of agreement against my chest.
“That’s what it’s like with my family.”
Roman squeezes me tighter, and I comb my fingers through his hair, floored by how amazing it feels to touch him like this.
“Something’s changing. Tonight, I called for help from the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. It didn’t stop my family from hurting me, but I get the sense that there’s something we’ve been missing in our magic. And then there’s you. You’re doing something to me, too. Changing my life.”
Roman’s hold borders on painful, but I love it.
“Yeah, well, you’ve bewitched me.”
I reply lazily. “I’ve done no such thing.”
“Not with magic.” Roman lifts his head and stares up at me with such intensity that my knees go weak. “You…” he trails off, but I don’t need to hear anymore. I lower my head and kiss him.
Every kiss with Roman feels like a gift. The way he holds me so tightly, like he’s afraid I’ll disappear into the ether if he loosens his grip. How his mouth brushes against mine as though I’m a revelation. My chest feels full, my heart hammering in my throat. I kick off my borrowed shorts and climb onto Roman’s lap. His hands land on my ass, pulling me close.
I look over my shoulder at the closed door. “What about Pen?” I really don’t need to scar my little sister more than the rest of her upbringing has.
“I went to get her a snack while she got ready for bed. She was already asleep by the time I got back.”
“Thank the Maiden, Mother, and Crone,” I groan, Roman’s mouth finding mine in a frenzied kiss. We’re both frantic, desperate. The need for each other overpowers any desire to linger on a touch or drag out the pleasure. Maybe we both need the affirmation that I’m okay. That we’re together and I’m not still passed out on the library floor.
I reach between our bodies, freeing Roman’s length from his pants. He groans when I pump my hand and then line him up at my entrance. I don’t need any foreplay. I just need to feel him inside me. His face burrows into my neck to muffle his sounds, but then he’s nipping and sucking the skin there. I slide down on his cock, rocking my hips until he’s buried to the hilt.
We stay there for a moment, panting, staring at each other. Magic sparks between us, humming everywhere our skin touches. A burst of power sings through me, and any remaining pain or fatigue disappears. A low moan escapes my mouth, and Roman fists his hand in my hair and captures my lips. He swallows down my sounds as I rock my hips, riding him.
“Quiet,” he groans, and then we both laugh. We’re really horrible at this incognito shit.
“You be quiet,” I whisper, followed by a moan when he grabs my ass and guides my movement. His other hand moves back to my hip and then I’m moving faster, fucking him harder.
I’m so wet. Besides the sounds of our heavy breathing, that’s all you can hear in the room.
“Fuck, Josephine.” Sweat dots Roman’s brow. He reaches between our bodies and finds my clit with his thumb. He circles around it while he keeps fucking up into me and I fall apart. I bury my face in his shoulder as my orgasm tears through me. The feeling of my magic dancing with Roman’s extends my release until my body is limp. Beneath me, Roman thrusts once more and then comes with a muffled curse.
“Bewitched,” Roman murmurs into my ear. He presses a kiss on my temple and holds me tight.