Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
THEO
Receiving Birdie’s forgiveness has left me feeling near weightless. I never expected to hear her side of the story, much less, to hear that Moira never blamed me for her grandmother’s death.
And now Kennedy deserves to hear the entire story from me.
“There’s something you should know," I tell her, turning to face her fully.
She peers up at my face, patiently waiting for the words to come as she places her hand in mine.
“Since the early 1800s,” I start, “every man from my family trained as a paranormal hunter—specifically, witch hunters. Back then, witches were considered to be of the devil himself, and the community relied on my family to keep them safe. But everything changed with my father.”
I take a deep breath. “What people don’t realize is that magic isn’t passed through families like paranormal genes.
Magic chooses people, and it chose my father.
He was the first Vanderbilt to ever be born with magic, making him the exact thing our family hunted.
My grandfather was furious. He hid my father’s magic to the best of his abilities, keeping him away from others for most of his childhood.
But what he didn’t realize was that decision would be the damnation of our family. ”
Thinking about those memories nearly depletes my energy and pulls me into the spirit realm, but I focus on the woman in front of me.
“By the time I turned twenty-five, my life was consumed by the pressure of my father’s legacy.
Most of the burden of holding up that mantel fell on my brothers’ shoulders, but being the youngest meant, if anything happened to them, I would be the last man standing.
” I hold her focus, silently begging her to see the man behind all of this.
“I never killed anyone,” I say with a shaky breath, “but I stood by and watched as my family burned innocent women.”
A tear slips down my cheek, and Kennedy wipes it away.
“The movie theater,” she whispers. “That’s where it happened.” She states it instead of asking, because she already knows the answer.
I nod and close my eyes, terrible images flashing behind them.
“The faces of those women still haunt me today. It’s why I couldn't face the witches in Shadow Hills. I thought for sure they held it against me for murdering their ancestors. I’m the only Vanderbilt left to cast blame onto, so why would they not?”
“But they don’t,” Kennedy whispers gently.
Sniffing, I wipe my eyes with the edge of my sleeve. “I never knew. All this time, I never knew.”
She presses her forehead to mine. “Now you do.”
This time, I don’t wait for her to kiss me.
I press my thumb against her chin and lift it so her lips reach mine.
Her supple mouth melds to mine as I coax her open.
It’s been an eternity since I’ve felt the warmth of a woman’s touch, but Kennedy’s is more akin to fire.
I graze the edge of her jaw with my thumb, and she practically purrs.
I’m caught up in the divine scent of her, pressing my nose to her temple and inhaling deeply. Jasmine floods my senses when she whispers in my ear. “Theo, we’re not alone.”
Without overthinking it, I channel my magic and transport us back through the void. We land on the floor in front of the fireplace, Kennedy sprawled on top of my chest.
“What did you just do?” she gasps, grappling for purchase.
I grasp her waist and pull her down so that she’s straddling me. “Just a trick I remembered I could do.”
“A trick?” Her tongue presses against her cheek. “How about you warn me next time?”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
I glide my hands over the dips and planes of her curves. There’s so much of her to hold, and I can’t get enough. I very nearly black out at the sight of her closing her eyes and basking in the sensation my touch triggers.
Suddenly, my confidence dwindles. I don’t know what I’m doing. I thought I could rely on muscle memory and just go with the motions, but my hands freeze. Is this too much? Is it not enough?
Sensing my insecurity, Kennedy leans down, her vivid hair cascading around us like a waterfall, and plants a single kiss to the center of my brow. “Just relax.”
She climbs to her feet and pulls her sweater over her head, revealing a tight stretch of material covering her breasts. Her stomach is exposed, and my eyes trail down to where her thighs are pressed together beneath those stretchy pants of hers.
“Wanna give me some light?” she suggests, nodding to the fireplace.
I’m so keyed up, I barely blink and it ignites beside me.
She giggles and climbs back on top of me. I feel a tug at the bottom hem of my hoodie. “Can I take this off?”
I nod, lifting my shoulders and raising my arms so she can slip it over my head. She stares down at me, absorbing every inch of bare skin with her eyes. She appears drunk at the sight of me, and I can’t believe such an incredible woman is moved by my lackluster body.
I never considered myself enticing to the opposite sex, nor have I ever claimed to have the best physique. But Kennedy is looking at me as if I’m everything she ever dreamed of, and that’s more than I could ask for.
She runs her fingers down my chest, grazing my nipples. It sends a zing of pleasure to my cock, and I gasp aloud.
This pleases her, so she does it again, this time lingering on the sensitive area. She swirls her finger around the peak of my nipple and then flicks it with her thumb.
“You like that?” she murmurs seductively.
I can only make a strangled sound of agreement.
Then, she knocks the breath right out of my lungs by pressing her mouth there instead. I groan as her tongue drags across my skin. She makes her way down to my navel and stops at the top of my sweatpants.
I feel myself growing hard beneath her. Every time she moves, she unintentionally presses against me. I lift my hips, reaching for more friction, but it’s not enough.
“Kennedy,” I release her name between my clenched teeth, “I can’t—I don’t know how long I’ll last.”
She cocks her head with a satisfied grin. “What do you think I’m doing, old timer?” She rocks back on her heels, only pressing herself harder against my groin. “I want to see what you look like when I make you come. I want to see you let go.”
I swallow a gulp. She’s certainly intimidating when she wants to be, but I wasn’t prepared to see this side of Kennedy. I think it might be my favorite.
I lean back and rest my head against the floor, allowing her to continue her work.
She gets to her feet again and begins stripping out of her pants.
Her breasts are heavy and full, and I can’t look away as she removes her bra.
I’m completely enamored. I’ve only seen a handful of women naked, and not a single one holds a candle to the one standing before me now.
Her hands cup her breast and she massages them slowly, pinching her own nipples with a small whimper escaping her lips.
She’s bare except for a small strip of cloth covering her center, and my cock stirs at the sight of her wetness seeping through the fabric.
I ache to sink into that wetness, but she takes her time unraveling me with her captivating performance.
“It feels the same as before,” she utters with a gasp. “I feel flushed,” she dips a hand to the apex of her thighs, “and alive.”
“Incredible,” I growl.
She peers down at me under heavy lids, a seductive smile on her precious lips. I silently beg her to come closer with my stare, and she obeys. She pulls her hair over one shoulder as she bends down and hooks two fingers in the band of my sweatpants.
I don’t wait for her to ask. Instead, I lift my hips and help her remove them, along with my underwear. My erection springs free, and with all of myself on full display for her, I shutter.
I know I won’t last long inside her, and I don’t want to rush through this without knowing she feels just as good as I do.
But I don’t know where to start. In my early twenties, I spent time in brothels because that was what the men around me did, but I only ever watched.
I have a general idea of how to touch a woman, but I don’t want to mess it up. Not with her.
Our shimmering, blue string floats around us, tying us together.
She deserves the absolute best from me. She deserves to feel special.
Kennedy must see the panic behind my eyes, because she cups my cheek and moves to lie beside me. “What’s wrong?”
My lungs feel heavy in my chest. The room around us is starting to close in, and I try to ward it off by slamming my eyelids shut. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Her hand softly caresses the side of my face, and I feel her lips press two gentle kisses over my closed eyelids.
“You don’t have to do anything,” she reassures me.
I crack open my eyes to find her face inches from mine. Her freckles look like constellations, and I want to trace the shapes of every one of them.
“But I want you to feel good,” I utter with desperation.
She closes the gap and connects her mouth to mine. Slow, deliberate kisses across my lips send butterflies to the pit of my stomach. Everything she does is magic. I instantly feel lighter, like I’m back in my spirit body instead of naked and solid on the floor.
With our lips still touching, she whispers, “I can show you.”
She sits up and straddles me again, her weight just above my hips.
She takes my hand and guides it to her center.
Fingers trembling, she places my thumb against the bud at the top of her slit.
It slides through her wetness as she presses down.
She uses me like a paint brush, tracing small circles.
I follow her lead and continue to add pressure.
She squirms on top of me, clenching her thighs as they dig into my ribs.
“Like that,” she murmurs.
I raise my head to get a good look at her, and all I see is a goddess experiencing pure bliss.
Gaining confidence, I move her hand away and continue to stroke her on my own.
She’s breathing heavier now, and there’s more slickness beneath my thumb.
It slips, dipping into her opening, and she lets out a delicious moan.
“Yes,” she urges me. “Do that again.”
I follow her instructions and slip back inside her. She wiggles atop me, grinding down on my stomach against my ministrations.
Then she lifts herself onto her knees so I have more access. “Use two fingers.”
Doing just as she said, I slip my index and middle finger into her tight heat. My cock pulses and aches at just how little room there is for me to move inside her, but I continue to pump my fingers.
Kennedy reaches down and starts to rub the spot I abandoned, so I slip out of her and go to touch her there.
“Don’t,” she begs. “Stay inside me.”
Chest heaving, I slide two fingers back into her core and she shutters.
“Keep going. That’s good.” Her head falls back, hair tickling the tip of my cock. “Oh god, Theo.”
Hearing my name on her tongue spurs me forward.
I pump into her, curling my fingers to stretch the inside of her walls.
This pushes her nearly to the edge. With a few more motions, she’s shuddering above me.
Her hands find purchase on my chest, nails digging into my skin as she rides the wave of her pleasure.
I don’t stop until she falls against me, breathing heavily.
“Was that…good?” I mutter, her cheek pressed against mine.
She smiles and shifts to sit up. “That was perfect,” she assures me. “Now it’s your turn.”