31. Willow
Thirty One
Willow
“ T ake your pants off.”
“Huh?” Willow looked at Gage with a frazzled expression.
They had both walked into her apartment after a three-hour drive from Georgia and a pit stop at the Towline Bridge, where she sat in the car waiting for the boy’s feast to be over. The sun was beginning to make its appearance on the horizon and she was working on wading through glass to shut the blinds to prevent him from burning to a crisp. He had warned her on the drive back that she would need a new patio door, and he was not wrong. Apparently in his distress at losing her, he had slammed it a little too hard.
“I didn’t think I stuttered. Take off your pants.” He made a brisk walk over to her and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her tight against him.
“Jesus, Gage, we just got home.”
“And I slept on the whole way here.” He grinned and began placing ticklish kisses on her neck. She tried to bat him away, but he only tried to bite her hand, and continued his pecking down her neck and onto her shoulder.
“Do you know how hot it was to watch you stand your ground against Waldo?” He mumbled between kisses.
“I’m guessing it was extremely hot if your erection is any indication.”
He chuckled and began slipping his hands underneath her t-shirt. “I would have taken you right there on the bed for him to watch if I didn’t think he would have interrupted to kill us.”
“Thank you for not trying that. Now if you don’t mind, I want to brush my teeth, throw on some pajamas, and go to bed. I take it you’re spending the night?”
“Am I allowed to?”
“Where else would you go? It’s almost sunrise.” She paused and pulled his hands off her abdomen, entwining her fingers with his. “Plus, I don’t think I want to be alone.”
The mood changed at her confession and he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I won’t leave you, Willow.”
She leaned into him and dropped his hands to wrap her arms around his waist. “Take a shower with me?”
His eyes darkened and he gave her a sly smile before pulling her toward the bathroom. Once inside, he shut the door and began slowly taking off her clothes.
So painstakingly slowly.
Once her shirt was completely off, he paused and frowned. “Where did these bruises come from?”
She looked down at herself and also frowned. “I don’t know. I guess they happened when I was fighting that vampire.”
A guilty look washed over him. “I should have never let that happen. How am I supposed to be a leader like my dad when I can’t even keep my own girlfriends safe?”
She noticed the plural and placed her hand on his face, using her thumb to rub small circles on his cheek. “I know you think it’s your fault Venice died, but she made her choice and you have to accept that. Even if you would have tried to go to Miami to bring her back, she would have fought you or Waldo would have killed you there. It’s okay to be sad that she’s gone, I’m not mad at you for that, but don’t beat yourself up over something that was out of your control.”
“I never wanted her back, but I felt like I had unfinished business because she was still out there. I’m not sad she’s dead—I’m kind of relieved, in a weird way. Is that wrong?”
“No.” She sat down on the toilet and wrapped her arms around herself. “I get that. You know, that vampire wasn’t the first person I killed.”
He raised his eyebrow and a small smile danced on his lips. “Oh? Did I get myself involved with a serial killer? I guess we have more in common than I thought.”
“Remember how I told you that my ex wouldn’t be following me down here? Well, it’s because I…killed him.”
The smile disappeared, but there was still intrigue sparkling in his eyes. He sat down on the ground in front of her like a child waiting for a storybook to be read.
She continued, “There were times where I wished for death instead of having to put up with him screaming at me, shoving me into walls, punching me for telling him how I was feeling. One time he even held my face over a stove burner and threatened to scar me so that I could never leave him, because who would love a burned woman?
“Then one day I decided to leave. But he came home unexpectedly and caught me. He chased me out of our apartment screaming at me, and I snapped. I couldn’t take it anymore and I wanted out, but there was only one way out I could see. I grabbed him and threw myself down the stairs. I was honestly hoping I would die with him.”
Gage’s lips thinned and rage filled his eyes. He didn’t speak, though, and let her continue .
“Somehow I managed to survive and made sure he didn’t. I killed him by smashing his skull against a step. So please, don’t worry about me being traumatized by having to kill that vampire—it wasn’t my first rodeo.”
He placed his head in her lap and looked up at her, his green eyes glittering with love. “You’re going to make a great vampire one day. Just think of all the abusive assholes we can take out together. Think of all the women you can save from a relationship like you had.”
“My mother always told me to find meaning in life, and I think I found it. I’m glad I found it with you.”
She unwrapped herself and slid her arms around his neck. Their lips came together and a small moan escaped her as his tongue explored her mouth. He pulled her toward him and onto his lap, and she straddled him, fitting his hard length between her legs. She clawed off his shirt and dug her nails into his back as he flipped them over.
A small hiss escaped her as her back met the cold porcelain floor. She watched as he undid her pants and pulled them off, her underwear quickly disappearing next. To her frustration, he kept his pants on and came back to devour her mouth. She ground against the rough fabric of his jeans, wishing he would undo them and pierce her waiting entrance. She tried to wiggle her hand in between them to accomplish that, but he grabbed her by the wrist and pinned both arms against her side as he made his descent down her body.
“Please fuck me,” she gasped as his tongue circled her navel and trailed down. “I don’t want to think about anything else except how you feel inside me.”
“Patience,” he growled as he nipped at the sensitive skin near her hip. The awareness of his teeth reminded her of how intense and glorious his bite could be.
“Bite me.”
Her command caused him to pause for the briefest of seconds, but his chuckle vibrated against her skin. She shivered from the ticklish sensation.
He rose back up to his favorite spot beneath her breasts, where he had marked her. Another shiver ran through her from the way he brushed his hand over the two small holes that marred her tender flesh. His fangs followed after and she felt them slip through her skin as a wave of pleasure swallowed her whole. She shut her eyes, spread her legs wide, and arched her back against his strong body. He took advantage of her position and quickly freed his cock to sheathe himself inside of her.
The pleasure didn’t stop flowing around her once he ended the bite, but a smaller, more intimate feeling took over as he slipped into her. She moaned out his name and wrapped her legs around him, trying to take him deeper. She used her heels to try to finish taking off his pants so she could have full skin-to-skin contact. He quit his thrusting long enough to help her with her task, both giving off a breathy laugh at the awkwardness of the removal but neither of them ready to untangle themselves to make it easy.
With a few thrusts, Gage was able to get back into a rhythm that made her want to throw her head back and scream. She could feel every inch of him penetrating her, her nerves still highly sensitive and on edge from the orgasm that had previously devoured her. His thrusts grew quicker, and she matched his pace by grinding her hips against him. They climaxed together, both wrapping their hands in each other’s hair and crushing their lips together. She felt like she was free-falling through space from the pleasure.
“Fuck,” he groaned into her mouth before breaking their kiss.
He collapsed on top of her, the pressure reconnecting her to her body and reminding her they were laying in the middle of her bathroom floor next to the toilet.
“That was amazing, but I really do want to take a shower now.” She patted him on the back and began to sit up. He followed her into the tub like a puppy waiting for more attention.
His face scrunched up as he read the multiple bottles that lined her bathtub while she adjusted the water to get the perfect, scorching-hot temperature.
“Are my only options for body wash pomegranate or spring floral scent?”
She smiled up at him shyly as she prepared a loofah with the aforementioned pomegranate soap. “Sorry, I don’t have more manly-scented soaps. I’ve been single for a while.”
He took the loofah from her and lathered up her front, paying special attention to her breasts. “I don’t mind smelling like you.” They continued in silence until his next question echoed against the shower walls. “When we get back from Miami, will you move in with me?”
“Do you think you can handle living with Marla, Sammy, and me? That’s a lot of female energy under one roof.”
“You’ll be a nice buffer between Marla and Sammy, they don’t seem to get along well.”
She frowned and wondered if they would ever get along. He spun her around and watched as the water washed away the white suds from her silken skin. She looked up to him and her frown instantly turned back into a gentle smile.
“Yes, I’ll move in with you.”
They took turns washing and caressing each other, eventually ending up in bed where they made love once again. This time it was slower and more romantic, but the climax was just as sweet. Willow fell asleep in his arms, content knowing that he would be the man she would spend all of eternity with.
***
Willow flopped down on the couch feeling overwhelmed with all the papers, booklets, and two tablets displaying pictures of different wedding venues. She looked over to Sammy, her dark curls reflecting her stress by sticking up every which way. Her new ring was shining brightly on her left hand, a beautiful princess-cut diamond placed on a silver band embedded with small emeralds, which stood out on her brown skin. Willow wondered how long it took both Horatio and Matteo to pick it out, but was impressed they were able to find one that matched Sammy’s style so well.
She had moved Snickers into the mansion so that Marla and Sammy could watch him while she was away in Miami. Gage had decided not to leave until after the wedding, as it seemed like no one was in a hurry to take over Waldo’s position. Until then, she would be staying here and slowly moving her things over, much like Marla had done.
The sound of a spoon hitting glass alerted her that Marla was in the kitchen preparing mimosas for the three of them as they began the wedding planning. They had the mansion to themselves, as the five boys and Clay were out trying on tuxedos. Clay had connections with the owner of a tuxedo shop, who had no issues staying open extra late to fit them while the sun was down.
Sammy whined and collapsed on the couch next to Willow. “I love Horatio, I really do, but I’m regretting accepting his proposal because of how awful this is. Why do I have to make so many choices? Why can’t I purchase a package deal and have someone else do all of this for me?”
“You can do that—it’s called hiring a wedding planner.” Marla frowned as she carried in a tray.
“But where’s the fun in that?” Willow asked.
She noticed that Marla had three tall glasses filled with a bright orange liquid and a pitcher filled to the brim with a matching substance .
Willow bit back a smile. “Do you think we’re going to drink all of that?”
“We’ll need all of that if we’re going to make a dent in any of this planning garbage,” Sammy answered, immediately reaching for one of the glasses. “So far, the only thing we have picked out is the cake. We went with red velvet, obviously because it’s the color of blood, and a traditional white frosting. Horse said he wanted them to drip red food coloring around it to make it look like it’s dripping with blood, but I told him absolutely not. I want us to be a little bit classy for our wedding.”
“How about we start with picking out the colors?” Marla asked and took a seat next to Willow.
Sammy groaned and shut her eyes like she was remembering a recent argument. “He originally said he wanted black and red with a Victorian theme, but I want green and orange with a tropical theme. But then Nikolas brought up the great idea of doing blue and white with a nautical theme since we met at the marina, and now Horse won’t let that idea go.”
“How did you two meet?” Marla asked.
“Oh, that’s a story for another time.” She pulled over some booklets and flipped through them. Marla frowned again and shifted uncomfortably on the couch.
“Well, I’m glad I met both of you. You two have given me the friendship I’ve always longed for. I finally feel like I belong somewhere.” Willow knew her eyes were getting glassy with emotion and tried to blink away the tears.
“Stop.” Sammy pushed the booklets away. “If you start crying then I’m going to cry, then Marla will cry, and our boys will come back from suit shopping to a giant tear fest.”
Willow giggled and raised her glass. “Okay then—no crying, only drinking and deciding which venue to get you hitched at. ”
The other two girls lifted their glasses and clinked them together in a toast. Willow didn’t think her heart could get much fuller than it was in this moment.
She was ready to start her new life with the rich brat she had come to love.