Chapter Twenty-Eight
Blair found her tank top, sat next to Luke on her bed, and told him everything.
She didn’t look at him while she talked and didn’t go into a ton of detail because she was tired and this was hard, but she told him about her parents fleeing East Africa, about hiding from witch hunters, and about learning spells from her parents when she was a girl.
She told him how her father had died and told him why she asked Luke to leave after her mother died.
And she told him everything that happened since he returned to town.
This was the part that Blair thought would upset him most – about Belinda’s prophecy and the vengeful spirit, Hecate.
‘Hecate is determined to get revenge on Moonbeam Hollow.’ Blair looked down at her hands.
‘And . . . her spirit possessed both you and your mother. That’s what happened yesterday, and Monday.
We . . . we made it happen by feeding you a magic spinach that makes people susceptible to spirit possessions.
We did it so we could talk to Hecate – to convince her to leave the town alone.
It wasn’t to try to put you out of business or get you to leave town.
We didn’t know Hecate would become angry and damage the bakery. ’
Luke didn’t say anything. He definitely thought Blair had lost her mind. Or he thought Blair and her sisters were monsters.
‘We didn’t have any other options,’ Blair continued quietly.
‘She plans to destroy the festival. Thousands of people will be there. But we shouldn’t have done it.
I’m sorry. For what we did to you, to your mother, to the bakery.
I hated lying to you. I shouldn’t have let myself get so close to you again. I’m so, so sorry.’
He finally looked at her, eyes narrow. ‘So.’ He paused. ‘Was this whole fling just a way to get close to me because this prophecy told you to?’
Blair shook her head quickly. ‘No. Not at all. In fact, I tried to stay away from you because I didn’t want you to get hurt. Or me to get hurt again. My feelings are real. I love you, Luke. I always have.’
He blinked. ‘Why should I believe any of this?’
Blair shrugged. ‘I don’t know. You probably shouldn’t believe me.
But it’s the truth. This is the real reason I asked you to leave twelve years ago.
I loved you, but I needed to protect my sisters.
If you’d stayed . . . as much as I wanted to be with you, you would have found out what we are. But I’m sorry.’
He was quiet for a bit, then he looked up and nodded small. ‘I actually forgave you a long time ago for telling me to leave.’
Blair’s breath hitched. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah, I was angry at the time, but I was young. Years later, I understood. Your mom died. Your focus needed to be on your sisters and nothing else. I understand why you had to sacrifice our plans, and why you didn’t want me to sacrifice mine.
Even though I didn’t know this witch business, I understood. ’
Blair swallowed. ‘Do you believe me? That I’m a witch?’
He looked at her. ‘I . . . I don’t know.’ He rubbed his face. ‘But I do know you should have trusted me with this, Blair. You should have told me about my role in this prophecy.’
Blair shook her head. ‘How? I promised my parents never to tell anyone. But . . .’ She paused. ‘If I wasn’t willing to tell you, then I shouldn’t have used you . . . or your mother, to communicate with Hecate.’
‘No, you shouldn’t have.’ He sighed. ‘Mom and I are fine, and the bakery can be fixed. If what you’re saying is true, then of course you wanted to save all those people at the festival.’
She looked straight into his eyes. ‘It’s true, Luke.’
He nodded to himself, then chuckled, running his hand through his hair.
‘My mother told me to trust you. She said last night before she went to bed that she really hoped you and I could work it out. I was so angry with you, so sure that you did something to ruin the bakery, but Mom said I had to trust your good intentions. And Mom’s pretty wise. ’
Blair blinked. ‘I’m so sorry about your mother’s dream bakery. I hope you’ll believe me.’
He shrugged. ‘I’ll need time. Maybe I’m too tired to think this through right now. Strange things have been happening in town, and your explanation weirdly makes sense, even if it doesn’t make sense at all.’
‘But you’re mad at me for lying.’ Blair looked up into his beautiful brown eyes. ‘Are you going to leave me for this?’
Luke gave her a pointed look. ‘Blair Briarwood, it’s going to take a lot more than telling me you have paranormal abilities to make me run away from you.
I thought you were sabotaging my bakery, and I still came to find you.
’ He knocked his knee into hers. ‘I’ll keep your family’s secret.
I’m just glad that you did all this stuff to save the town, not to try to run me out of it.
Promise you won’t covertly feed me magic spinach again. Any spinach, actually.’
Blair laughed looking at him. He believed her. And he wasn’t scared away. She knocked her knee against his. ‘I promise. No more spinach.’
‘Good.’
‘Why are you being so nice, Luke? Why are you accepting this?’
He laughed, turning to face her. ‘Because I’m in love with you, and I have been forever.
Blair, you don’t seem to understand, you’re it for me.
You always have been. I think we need to have a longer talk about this witchcraft stuff after I get some sleep and can think a little clearer, but this doesn’t change how I feel.
I might actually love you more, now that you’re a superhero. ’
Belinda was right. Luke was Blair’s person, and Blair was Luke’s. Blair was so happy she thought she might cry again. What did she do to deserve this? ‘I love you, too, Luke. No more secrets.’
‘You didn’t say what the suitcase was for,’ he said, leaning close and putting his warm hand on her cheek.
Blair tilted her head into his touch. ‘We were . . . we were going to run. At sunup. We thought we were unsafe in Moonbeam Hollow . . . that everyone knew what we were.’
‘Are you still going to go?’ he asked, inching his face closer to Blair’s.
Blair didn’t know. Nothing had really changed – she had been planning to run because she thought the Briarwoods’ secret was out or would be out at the festival.
She still thought their secret was out, and she still had no idea what would happen at the festival, but with Luke by her side, it somehow didn’t feel as scary anymore.
He blinked. ‘I meant it when I said we’ll figure this out together. I don’t fully know what danger you’re in, but if you stay, I’ll do what I can to protect you and your sisters.’
‘You are too good, Luke Caldwell.’
‘So you keep saying.’ He gave an almost feral smile and leaned even closer so there was practically no space between them. ‘Now, can you take your top off again? Because I wasn’t quite done with you yet.’
Blair couldn’t say no to that. Reaching for the hem of her tank, she pulled it off again.
Luke’s mouth was immediately on hers, kissing her.
Blair pressed herself into him, wanting to fuse their bodies together.
They fell back onto the bed, lying side by side, just kissing.
It was soft and sweet, and if Blair wasn’t topless, she’d believe they were back in high school, kissing for what felt like hours in the dim light of her bedroom. Blair never wanted it to end.
But this time . . . it wouldn’t end. Luke knew her secrets. And he was still here.
‘Luke?’ Blair asked, slipping her hands under his sweatshirt so she could scrape her nails down his back.
‘Yes?’
‘Why do you have clothes on?’
Luke laughed, climbing off her. Blair propped herself on her elbows to watch him undress. First, that soft sweatshirt came off, then the black T-shirt he had under it. Then those grey sweatpants (which weren’t fitting that great now considering his sizable erection), and finally his boxer briefs.
Blair quickly took off her pants and underwear before he was back, so there was nothing but his soft, warm skin on hers.
They moved slowly, always kissing, bodies sliding against each other with achingly perfect friction.
Blair would have thought things would feel different now that he knew her truth.
That they’d be closer, or even that he might pull away a bit, not knowing what to expect from her powers, but that’s not what happened.
Because Luke had always been all in. And when they were like this, they’d always been as close as they could possibly be.
Luke’s body was hard and soft in all the right places, and the feeling of him pressed against her was like nothing in the world.
He kissed her tenderly, then pulled away to look at her, gently pushing her hair off her face.
‘I wish I could stop time,’ Luke said quietly. ‘Do you even know how sexy you are? I’m not surprised that you’re actually magic. I love you so much, Blair.’
He was the beautiful one. His eyes were dark with the tiniest hint of green, and he was focused completely on Blair.
‘I love you, too, Luke,’ Blair said, smiling small.
‘But are you sure you just want to stare at me?’ She let her hand wander to find his erection, and gave him three hard strokes, watching his eyes roll back in his head as his cock twitched in her hand.
He let out a shaky breath. ‘Do you have a condom?’
Blair grinned and rolled out from under him.
After getting one from her desk, she insisted on being the one to roll it on him.
With Luke in a half recline against the pillows on her headboard, Blair slipped the condom on slowly, relishing in the sensation of his body in her hands.
She climbed over him, bending her knees to rest on her calves.
His hands went straight to her thighs, softly caressing her skin, and the look on his face told Blair that there was something he wanted to say.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.
His lips squeezed together a moment, then he smiled. ‘I love you, Blair. I think I’m just a little overwhelmed right now.’ He paused, sliding his hands up her thighs. ‘Is it – is it because of your witch powers that it’s always so intense with you and me?’
Blair shook her head, smiling. ‘No. I’m not doing anything.
It’s because it’s you and me.’ Tears welled in her eyes.
She didn’t deserve this man, but she had him again.
This time she wasn’t going to let him go.
‘I love you, Luke. And I promise to never hide myself from you.’ Blair rocked her hips.
She wanted him inside her, in every conceivable way.
‘Turn around for me,’ Luke whispered, guiding her so she was facing away from him, still on her knees straddling him.
He put one hand around her waist and extended his legs, and Blair got up on her knees, and slowly lowered herself onto him.
And it was so good. She loved this . . .
being stretched full of Luke. But when he pulled her back against his chest and nuzzled her shoulder, Blair nearly wept.
The angle was perfect, and when Luke’s arms wrapped around Blair in a tight embrace, Blair leaned back more, letting him take her weight.
His entire body was against hers, supporting her.
Holding her. She turned her head so she could look at those beautiful brown eyes while she started rocking her hips, every movement hitting that spot deep inside her.
It was slow and intense. Blair had never felt anything so deep and had never experienced anything so intimate.
‘Just like that,’ Luke whispered into Blair’s ear. ‘You feel fucking amazing. Go a little faster.’
Blair’s head lolled back, resting on his shoulder as she increased the tempo of her rocking.
The increased friction was delicious, and Blair lost herself in the sensations.
After a while he groaned, clutching her breast with one hand while his other snaked down to press on her clit.
That’s all it took; Blair’s orgasm crested, seeming to come from a deeper place than ever before.
She gasped, then turned her head so she could sloppily kiss Luke while pleasure crashed through her.
Moments later his body tensed, and he shuddered through his own release while whispering her name.
They lay joined, Luke’s arms tightly around Blair for several long moments, catching their breath. Blair wanted to say something about how mind-blowing that was. About how much she’d missed him when he hadn’t been in her life. About how much she loved him.
‘Luke?’ Blair asked.
‘Hmmm?’ He didn’t seem to be capable of making words yet.
‘If I asked you to stay in Moonbeam Hollow with me, would you?’
Luke shifted, manoeuvring Blair off him so they were lying side by side on the bed, eyes locked on each other. There was a smile in Luke’s eyes. ‘In a heartbeat, Blair.’ Luke kissed her nose. ‘I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that very question.’
‘Then I’m asking now. Stay in town with me?’
‘Yes. As long as you’ll have me.’