by T. M. Cromer
“Christ, Autumn!”
“Just wait,” she laughed before taking him fully into her mouth.
His balls contracted, and the orgasm started. Keaton closed his eyes and tangled his fingers in her long auburn hair. But before he could ejaculate, her other hand cupped his balls, and whatever magic she produced, stopped him from coming.
His eyes flew wide, and he stared at her in disbelief.
The wicked gleam in her gaze preceded her dipping her head and licking him from base to tip. “I’m not ready for you to get off yet.”
“How did you…?”
“Don’t ask. Feel.”
And feel he did. Every stroke of her tongue. Every pull of her lips. Even the length of him in her mouth, touching the back of her throat. It all worked him into a frenzy until he was thrusting into her mouth harder than he should’ve but unable to control the instinctive movement. Once again his balls contracted, and once again she halted his orgasm.
“God, I can’t take this, babe,” he ground out.
“You can, and you will.” She retorted. “Now fuck me, Keaton.” She positioned a pillow under her stomach and reclined forward on her elbow. “Fuck me like you mean it. Like you can’t get enough. Like I’m your one and only.”
He could no longer feel his face. All the blood in his body had pooled into his dick, making his raging hard-on throb. When he eased into her, she sighed her pleasure.
“Harder.”
He drew back and pumped with more force.
“Harder.”
Soon, he was pistoning in and out with little finesse, burying himself as deep as possible. She didn’t seem to mind, in fact, she encouraged him with every mew of pleasure she released.
Her orgasm came in the form of her contracting walls and a burning heat wrapping around him. No longer able to hold back, he gripped her hip in one hand as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Three more hard thrusts had him following her over the edge.
They collapsed in a heap of arms and legs.
When he could draw in enough air to speak, he gasped her name.
She smiled and kissed him gently. “I’ll give you five minutes to recover, and then we go again.”
“You’re trying to kill me,” he complained with a caress of her hip.
“Nope. Just trying to make up for lost time.”
“In that case, give me three minutes and I’m all yours.”
“You are such a team player.”
“That’s me,” he managed between pants. “Mr. MVP.”
Chapter 17
“I need to head home, babe. Chloe will be waking soon, and I should be there for her,” Keaton said to the woman sprawled across his naked body.
“Mmm.”
He grinned. Autumn had never been a morning person, and it looked like nothing had changed in the interim since they’d been lovers.
He ran a hand down the length of her body, caressing and exploring the curves and smooth texture of her skin. When he got to her ass, he cupped it and sighed. Even after a full night of incredible sex, his joystick decided it was ready to go another round.
A quick glance at the clock curtailed that idea. He needed to be home for his daughter.
“You’re holding onto my ass like you’re afraid to let go,” Autumn mumbled against his chest.
“I am,” he said with a sigh and a squeeze of her full cheek. “I’m afraid this is all a dream, and when I wake up, you’ll still hate me.”
She lifted up on crossed arms and stared into his face. “Not likely. But I could go with you and then the three of us could grab breakfast at Monica’s.”
“I love that idea. Can you get a shower in five minutes?”
“If you promise to conjure me a cup of coffee.”
He stopped stroking her ass. “Am I ready to conjure hot liquids?” Unsure why the thought made him nervous, he decided perhaps he should dress so he didn’t burn his dick and balls off in the event he fucked up.
Autumn rose up, straddled his lap, and wound her fingers in his hair. With a not so gentle tug, she pulled his head back so he was gazing up into her bright amber eyes. “You’d be surprised what you are ready for. I have faith you can do that and more. If you can think it, it can be done.”
His heart hammered with excitement and some other unnamed emotion. Dread? The combination of the two felt odd.
“You can do it, Keaton. It’s all about visualization. The cup, the liquid, even how close to the rim you want the coffee and the condiments inside. Build it in your mind.”
Keaton steadied his nerves and held out his hand. First, came the mug. Then came the hot coffee, and next, a teaspoon of sugar. Lastly, he visualized a dash of vanilla creamer. When he opened his eyes, the perfect cup of coffee was in his grasp, and Autumn sat beaming like a proud parent.
“Now stir it up. Water is your sign, and coffee is mostly water. Swirl it to stir the sugar and cream,” she instructed.
Recalling what she’d taught him about gently pushing the magic instead of pulsing, he created movement of the liquid.
“Perfect, now draw back before you create a coffee tidal wave,” she laughed.
He presented her with the conjured cup of coffee. “Five minutes.”
After a quick sip of her drink, Autumn sighed her pleasure. “I think we can start teaching you the fundamentals of teleporting soon.”
The idea had appeal, and Keaton nodded his agreement. “I’d like that.”
“Good. You can head home so you won’t be late, and I’ll pop over shortly.”
Keaton cast another regretful glance at the clock. Left with no choice, he climbed from the bed and started to dress.
“Last night was amazing,” he told her as he drew his jeans up over his hips and arranged himself inside his pants.
The satisfied curl of her lips caused his own to curl.
“It was. Thank you, Keaton. For effectively making me forget, and for… you know, the rest.”
He sighed with regret when she covered her ample curves with a robe. “Entirely my pleasure, babe. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” They stared, neither wanting to break contact. “You should go.”
“I should.”
Another long pause passed before she rose up on her knees on the mattress’s edge.
Keaton stepped forward until their bodies were pressing together. “If I could, I’d stay in this moment forever.”
“I know. Chloe is lucky to have such a devoted dad.”
“Thank you for that. Over the years, I’ve wondered if I’ve provided all she needs. Diane has certainly not been a help.”
Autumn snorted. “She wouldn’t be. All her attention is on boinking Pastor Graves.”
“What?”
“It’s not important.”
“It most certainly is,” he argued.
Her darkening frown should’ve warned him of the coming storm. “Why?”
“What do you mean, why? She’s the mother of my child.” How could she not see this reflected on him?
“If she means nothing to you, then you shouldn’t be upset.”
“I didn’t say she meant nothing to me, Autumn. She—”
Without a word, Autumn disappeared into thin air.
“The fuck?” He spun around and caught a flash of auburn hair in the bathroom. With an irritated sigh, he strode into the adjoining space. “What the hell was that about?”
“Go home, Keaton.” The cold tone of her voice left him in little doubt of her anger.
“No. You don’t get to do this. Whatever slight, real or imagined, we need to talk about.”
“You want to talk? Fine. We’ll talk.”
Her icy demeanor succeeded in chilling him to his core. It was generally acknowledged that if a woman said “fine”, you were pretty much screwed.
She didn’t leave him to wonder long. “The sheets on my bed are still warm from where we made love, yet you have the nerve to stand there and tell me Diane still holds a place in your
heart?” Rage vibrated with the question she voiced.
“I didn’t say that,” he denied. “I didn’t—in any way, shape, or form—say I love her. Don’t put words in my mouth.”
The flat of her hand shot out and caught him in his upper chest. “You’re a damned liar,” she snarled. “A two-timing sonofabitch!”
“Are you high? I just said I don’t love her.”
“You said she still means something to you,” she shouted.
Muffled footsteps sounded from the hall. They’d have an audience soon enough.
Keaton tried to temper his own anger and plead his case. “Babe, you are being unreasonable. I only said…” He trailed off as the blackest of rages crossed her face. Shit! He used the word “unreasonable”. How stupid could a guy be? “What I meant to say…” Backpedalling did no good now that the damage was done.
“Go home, Keaton.”
“When you look back on this, you are going to see how wrong you are,” he warned. “Don’t do this to us again.”
“I didn’t do it to us the first time. You did that by slipping your dick into another woman.”
“Autumn, you are letting your jealousy take root here. That ugliness will destroy everything.”
“Let me clarify one thing. I’m not jealous of that skank. Not now, not ever. She isn’t a pimple on my ass. But if you still want her, by all means, have at it.”
“I don’t want her!” he shouted. “I want you!”
The door flung open on his last words, and two of her sisters poured into the room.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Spring was the first to speak after his shouted announcement.
“Damned if I know,” he muttered and edged past her to exit the bathroom. “Ask your hot-headed sister.”
He snatched up his shoes and shirt while the trio of women stood gaping at him. With one last, long look at Autumn, Keaton shook his head in disgust and exited the house.
* * *
“What the hell was that about, Tums?” Winnie demanded. “We heard you downstairs.”
Autumn sagged back against the bathroom vanity and shook her head. She had no way of explaining how one little seed of doubt had blossomed into a large, hateful weed.
At the sound of Diane’s name on Keaton’s lips, she went insane. There was no other way to describe her behavior. He’d called her unreasonable, and he wasn’t wrong. It was as if an alien being had invaded her body, caused massive destruction to her newfound relationship, then disappeared as quickly as it had come.
“I need a shower. I’ll give you a rundown when I’m done, okay?”
They silently agreed and left her to her own devices.
As she lathered her skin, she replayed the morning in her mind. She couldn’t come to grips with her meltdown. Sure, Diane was Autumn’s trigger, but she knew Keaton came with baggage. Life was messy, and going forward with a relationship meant Autumn would have the past rear its nasty little head from time to time.
Bottom line, she owed him an apology.
She let the hot water pour over her face as she slowly spun in place. The feel of the water raining down on her skin soothed and centered her.
A quick sliver of charged air raced along her neck. It was all the warning she received before hands reached for her. Because she recognized the sensation, she guessed who her visitor was before she opened her eyes.
Looking up into Keaton’s loving, apologetic blue gaze, the hurt faded.
“I’m sorry,” they both said in stereo.
When he would’ve spoken again, she held up a hand. “You weren’t the one in the wrong, Keaton. And I don’t know what the hell came over me. For that, I’m sorry.”
“I made it as far as my truck,” he said huskily. “I couldn’t leave it like that. Couldn’t take the chance another misunderstanding would cost us years of our lives.”
Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek against his heart. “I was going to come to you after my shower. I don’t want to fight.”
“Good. Because neither do I.” He lowered his head to hers and captured her mouth in a soul-searing kiss. The softness of his lips was in direct contrast with the aggressive action of his mouth. Keaton kissed like a man possessed. When they came up for air, he said, “I love you, Autumn. I know my actions in the past have been questionable, but I do love you with every fiber of my being.” This time, he lightly brushed his lips across hers. “You are my reason for living. I never want to face another day without you.”
“Damn, dude! You cornered the market on romantic apologies today.”
“Yeah, I’m going to come up with my own line of I’m-Sorry-I-Fucked-Up greeting cards.”
She laughed and kissed him more fully on the lips. “Let’s finish and get Chloe. That is, if my bitchy self is still welcome at breakfast.”
“You’re always welcome—bitchy or no.”
“Thank you for coming back.”
He nodded and smoothed the soaked hair back from her face. “Are we okay?”
“I think so. There are a few things I still need to work through, but I’m willing to try.”
“That’s all I can ask, and it’s more than I deserve.”
“Like you said, you were young and stupid. I was too. But maybe we’ve got enough maturity between the two of us now that we can muddle through this thing called a relationship.” She frowned when she finally noticed he was fully dressed. “You could’ve kicked off your shoes at least.”
With a glance down and a sheepish grin, he shrugged. “All I thought was that I needed to get to you. I needed to touch you and tell you I love you one more time.”
Her heart melted on the spot. How could it not?
Without breaking eye contact, she swirled her finger in the air to shut off the water.
“Impressive trick,” he murmured.
“I love magic. Everything about it calls to me and fills me up. Maybe that’s why I was devastated when you looked at me with such horror.”
“You grew up with it. But me? Suddenly, the woman I loved had a ball of fire rotating on her palm. I almost crapped my pants.”
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can see where it would be a bit intimidating.”
“Can you? Because the knife in your hand and the wind bending the trees was downright terrifying. I was sure that at any minute, I’d wake up from some fucked-up dream. But each time I blinked, the unbelievable was still happening.”
Autumn drew back marginally and studied his face. The truth of his statement was reflected there for her to see. “I’m sorry, Keaton. I never meant to terrify you. I realize now, it was a lot for you to absorb the way I revealed my gifts.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. No, I mean it,” he said when she started to interrupt. “You expected me to be open-minded and not act like a child.”
“Enough of this. We agreed the past is in the past.” Palms out, she called the towels from the rack to her. She handed one to Keaton as she dried with the other. After she stepped out of the shower, she whirled her hands about her. A fresh pair of black jeans encased her ass nicely, while a brown shirt hugged her chest and showed it to its perfect advantage. A second wave of her hand perfected makeup and hair.
“You did in forty seconds what takes most women forty minutes,” he laughed. “Impressive.”
She grinned at him in the mirror and snapped her fingers to top the outfit with her favorite leather jacket. “Ready?”
“Think you could…?” He gestured to his wet clothing.
Another snap of her fingers sucked the moisture from his clothing and dried his outfit.
“Like I said, impressive.”
She laughed and led the way from the room.
Chapter 18
The following days passed in a blissful haze for Autumn and Keaton. Every spare moment was spent together. Chloe was ecstatic about the change in their relationship. Diane was a non-issue in their happy little world since the day Alastair had pu
t her in a trance. Autumn was afraid to rock the boat and avoided the topic of her ex-best friend. Keaton and Chloe seemed to be similarly inclined.
This morning, the three of them sat around the Carlyle kitchen island, eating the blueberry pancakes Keaton had whipped up.
“I forgot how good these were,” Autumn moaned around her third bite.
A devilish light sparked his gaze as he studied her mouth. Without warning, he leaned forward to lick a maple syrup droplet from her bottom lip.
“Eww, Dad. Gross.”
He turned wide-eyes on a disgusted Chloe. “What? I couldn’t let her walk around all day with syrup on her lip.”
With all the drama of an eight-year-old going on eighteen, Chloe rolled her eyes, making Autumn laugh.
“It is a bit unsanitary, isn’t it?” she asked the girl, although secretly, she loved Keaton’s attention.
Chloe nodded and shoveled in her own bite of pancake.
“You’re going to have to get used to it, midget. It’s the kind of corny, gross stuff adults do,” Keaton told his daughter with a ruffle of her hair.
“Dad!” she cried and straightened the mess.
The two adults exchanged an amused glance. Chloe was fast approaching the age where appearances mattered. In just the few weeks since the pedicure party, she’d started wearing more girly clothes along with the lip gloss Autumn had purchased for her. It seemed it came along with pre-teen attitude. Today’s discussion revolved around her desire to return to school.
“Why can’t I go back?” Chloe asked for what felt like the millionth time.
Autumn decided to let Keaton field the question because explaining secrecy to a child was virtually impossible. They didn’t understand the need to remain silent about witchcraft.
“I already said not yet, Chloe. This is not open for discussion.”
The girl turned pleading eyes to Autumn. “Please. Tell him. He’ll listen to you.”
“I’m not going to get caught in the middle, kid. And it’s not fair for you to try to shove me there.” Autumn placed her fork on top of her plate and folded her arms in front of her on the table. With all her focus on Chloe, she said, “It’s important to hide what we are. And while you feel you are grown up enough to handle the responsibility of remaining quiet on the subject, I’m here to tell you that you aren’t.”
