Chapter Fifteen #2
“Hilarious,” I deadpan, even as a thrill of pride swells in my chest. The first time we did this, the teal-colored writing faded away after a few seconds, but this time, it lingers. “Now, try to erase it. Please.”
“How exactly do I do that?”
“I’m…not sure. Try wiping it away with your hand, like you would with a chalkboard.”
Laney wipes their palm over the letters, and the entirety of the mirror flashes teal before returning to black. “This is seriously cool, Pippa.”
“I want to go next!” Colton pushes his way forward with the unrestrained eagerness of a golden retriever puppy.
Laney smacks his hand, and Colton pouts. “We’re here for eternity. Patience, dude.”
“Everyone will get a chance to try it,” I say, not bothering to hide my smirk.
Colton, who I suspect would have come out as pansexual if he’d been a college guy today instead of twenty-plus years ago, is clearly besotted with Laney.
And, breaking dumbass-frat-boy stereotypes of his era, he’s never once messed up Laney’s pronouns since he learned them.
Colton leans around Laney and scrawls his finger across the board, leaving behind bright orange lettering.
Boobs
Laney smacks him in the shoulder again. “You are such a Neanderthal.”
“What?” he says, rubbing the place where Laney touched him. “Boobs are great!” He nudges Harry with his elbow. “Come on, man. You gotta back me up here. Boobs were great in the fifties, too, right?”
While the ghosts continue their good-natured bickering, I turn my attention to Elle. “We’ll need to find more antique mirrors so I can make spirit boards for all the common areas, but this is a great start. You were very helpful, thank you.”
“My pleasure.” She draws her lower lip between her teeth. “You know…I think there might be something you could use upstairs.”
“Really? Xan said this was the only mirror he could find that wasn’t already permanently fixed to a wall.”
Elle lets her gaze rake over my body. “Alex didn’t check my room.”
Understanding flushes through me, and I wipe away the sigils on my skin, silencing the chatter of the ghosts around us. “You said Xander would be out late?”
“We’ll be alone for several hours.” Elle nods toward the open doorway. “Shall we investigate our options?”
“Wait.” I reach for Elle’s wrist before she can turn away. “Let me take care of this first.” With careful, magic-warmed fingers, I remove the sigils from Elle’s forehead and ear, delighting in how she shivers at my touch. “Now we can go.”
I follow Elle upstairs, desire and eagerness overshadowing the tiny thrum of nerves.
In all our stolen moments this week, we’ve never had the luxury of both time and a bed.
Our first kiss in the kitchen was cut short.
After we met the Jennifers and moved them into separate pieces of lepidolite, we made out in the back seat of Elle’s car until my back issues forced us to stop.
Making out in the woods again on Wednesday meant we kept everything above the waist, and then yesterday…
Yesterday, I didn’t see her at all, and I’m ready to make up for lost time.
Thirteen days.
After today, there are only thirteen more days until the opening. And then it’s Halloween, and I’ll be moving out, and then—
We reach Elle’s room, and she throws open the door, dragging me inside.
She closes it behind us, which leaves me with my back pressed against the wood and Elle’s hips mere inches from my own.
She smiles up at me, and though her green eyes no longer glow with my magic, the desire burning in them is beautiful.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” I echo, tipping my forehead to rest against hers. I breathe in her familiar scent, lavender and bakery sweetness and the spice of her cologne.
Elle leans forward to close the gap between us.
This kiss feels different than the others.
Patient. Thorough. Like we have all the time in the world and she intends to savor every single second of it.
The glide of her tongue against mine draws a deep moan from my chest, my body coming alive as those capable, confident hands slip under the hem of my shirt.
She slides up my stomach until her thumbs are swiping across the tightened peaks of my breasts.
“Hang on,” I whisper, pressing her back a step. Worry flashes across her face, but then I grip my shirt and yank the offending piece of fabric over my head. “I’m tired of having layers of fabric between us.”
“Oh, thank god,” she moans, removing her shirt and sports bra in one fluid motion. And fuck, Colton was right. Boobs really are great.
I reach for her, fingers skimming across her chest before ultimately settling at her back, pulling her close as she crashes into me.
Elle kisses me harder, pulling away to trail kisses along my jaw.
“I will always respect your boundaries,” she says between kisses.
“But I’m so fucking glad that you want this. ”
“So much,” I agree, releasing her to undo the hooks of my bra, and then there’s nothing separating us from the waist up, and the press of skin on skin on skin leaves me hot and wet and wanting.
“The bed,” I say, and then we’re stumbling across the room, all roaming hands and searching kisses until Elle pivots and I’m the one who lands on the bed first.