Cantrips: Volume #2: Minor Magics Crafted to Amuse and Entertain

by Joey W. Hill

  “Scream with her, sweetheart. Let us hear it. Keep us hard, wanting to fuck the two of you endlessly. Never stopping.”

  It crashed over her within seconds of when she heard Ben give the command to Marcie to come, as he started to release himself. Lucas was barely a heartbeat behind him. What had been created expanded beyond each couple, the release heightening the pleasure for each of them. It swirled around and bound them in ties with so many connections, Cass knew it was a web that could hold them above the darkest shadows—except when they embraced those shadows without fear, craving what lay within them.

  Part Ten

  When they finally rested on the shore beyond those powerful waves, the room was silent except for rasping breaths, a thumping undercurrent of pounding hearts and slowing pulses, a quiet whisper or low exchange of words. All of them were loath to break the spell.

  Sliding from Cass at last, Lucas moved behind her on the mattress edge side, turning her to spoon up against her body and hold her close.

  Ben eased out of Marcie, putting more kisses on her nape and shoulder. He maneuvered her to her side also, her back to Cass, but he adjusted her so she was closer to her sister and Lucas. “I’m going to go run the two of us a bath to tend to her,” he said, meeting Lucas’s gaze over Cass’s head. “Look after her for a few moments?”

  Lucas nodded, and a light smile touched Ben’s lips as Cass reached out with her Master, drawing a depleted and trembling Marcie into the shelter of their spooned bodies.

  As Cass cuddled her sister close, Lucas enveloped them in his long arms. Marcie overlapped both their arms with her hands, as mindlessly trusting of their hold as she’d been when much younger, giving Cass’s heart a poignant twist. Ben brushed a lock of hair out of Marcie’s face, smoothing it back, and met Cass’s gaze. “She’s fine,” he promised her. “She’s just nonverbal afterward. Takes her awhile to come back. She’s all good.”

  “I know,” Cass said, and meant it.

  Ben’s smile stayed, as if he’d heard the emphasis. He stroked Cass’s hair from her face, too, trailing a thumb over her lips before he dropped a kiss on Marcie’s mouth. To Cass’s bemusement, he did the same to her before he left the bed.

  As they heard the water start in the Jacuzzi tub, Cass let out a contented sigh, nestling her hips deeper into the cradle of Lucas’s. He responded with a nice push of his cock against her ass, and shifted to caress her hip, his knuckles following the curve of her breast accessible under the arm she had stretched over Marcie. She watched him use the benefit of those long arms to do the same to Marcie, playing his clever fingers along her biceps, the curve of her breast, also generously available since her arms were bent for a prayer fold of her hands under her cheek. When he slid his hand down, he kept stroking them, moving between thigh, breast, hip, side, hair… His cock stirred against her ass, amazing Cass but also reminding her of how many mornings he woke her just by adjusting her knee forward and working his thick length inside her at the tight angle, holding her pinned that way. His fingers would work over her clit until the two of them came, so closely locked together, her teeth biting down on his hand to muffle her cries from her siblings in the upstairs bedrooms.

  He wouldn’t do that now, not while she was holding Marcie so close, and not when they were all so momentarily sated, but it was a lovely thought to anticipate for breakfast. She expected Ben had a similar ritual. All the K&A men were insatiable.

  Cass tipped her head up to find Lucas’s eyes closed as he fondled both sisters. She kissed his throat. “Enjoying this, are you?” she said, a soft tease. His firm lips curved.

  “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

  Marcie was coming out of her haze, because a quiver ran through her shoulders, as if she’d managed a tired chuckle. Cass laid her cheek on her sister’s back and increased her hold around her waist, even as she savored the feel of Lucas’s hard body against her, the provocative contact that, despite her exhaustion, could still make her respond. He had so much skill in those capable fingers, so much knowledge of a woman’s body; how she liked to be touched before, during and after.

  As Lucas stroked Marcie’s hip, Ben returned, amusing Cass when he gave Lucas’s hand a reproving slap, like a wife keeping her husband away from fresh pie. “Taking advantage of my sub’s vulnerable aftercare needs,” he grumbled.

  “You kissed my wife,” Lucas said.

  “Couldn’t help it. She looks so well-used, lips all pouty and pink.” Ben winked at Cass. She narrowed her gaze at him, though it was hard not to chuckle.

  “No,” Marcie mumbled drowsily. “Not taking advantage. I like it when he touches me. It feels good. All of you… I love all of you.”

  Ben’s teasing became tenderness as he gathered her up in his arms. “Yeah, you’re floating, baby. Let’s go get cleaned up. Want me to start the tub refilling when I’m done?” He directed that to Lucas.

  “Yeah.” Lucas nuzzled Cass’s shoulder. “A bath will be good. Keep my sub’s muscles loose. I might want to put her through another couple workouts before dawn. We haven’t taken advantage of that 1800s-styled billiards table in the other room yet. And she’s definitely the first thing I’m having for breakfast.”

  If he meant it, she might need the spa’s professional masseuse services again. As well as that bath. He was going to kill her—but again, who cared?

  “Don’t worry,” Ben told Cass in a mock low voice, as he cradled Marcie. “Bicycle-Boy doesn’t have that kind of stamina. He won’t be bothering you until he’s had his second cup of coffee and checked the stock reports.”

  Lucas had a suitably rude retort for that. Ben headed for the bath with his precious burden, chuckling. Folding his arms over Cass again, Lucas snugged his thighs under hers, to spoon them together even more securely. She thought of how she’d imagined Ben and Marcie as one melded creature during their lovemaking, and she felt that way herself. Lucas’s cock pushed into the channel between her thighs and she adjusted so she could hold it there, rubbing pleasantly against her wet cunt. He had more than enough stamina to live up to his threat…or promise. He could make her tremble with desire at just the thought, but for now she couldn’t be more content, basking in the intimacy of their pose and feeling his breath against her neck, providing her the sure knowledge that he was awake and tending to her state of mind as closely as Ben did Marcie’s.

  “So, after this night is over, are you going to be able to handle having only one sister for your sexual needs?” she asked.

  He chuckled, a deep, masculine sound. “Always have, always will. But if one of us ends up killing Ben, which you know is very probable, we could convert to a 24/7 D/s household and she could be my sex slave. Help you with chores, bring me my slippers. You’d still have top ranking as head submissive, of course.”

  “Or I could ruin that new wood chipper we bought, getting rid of your body. But I will miss you.”

  He anticipated the thud of her fist against his thigh but let the blow land as her just due before capturing her wrist and lifting it to his mouth to kiss. “You know that’s never going to happen anyway. For one thing, Dana would call dibs. She’d want Marcie as her own personal cuddle toy. Who she’d magnanimously share with Peter.”

  “And would you say ‘lucky bastard’?” she asked archly.

  “I would. But none of them are luckier than me.”

  “Good save.”

  “I thought so.” He smiled against her shoulder. “What pleases me is knowing you’re being playful, that you have no true worries about that. Not all couples, no matter how close, could have done this without some kind of fall-out to handle.”

  She thought of that key moment, when he’d told her she was his only true fantasy. She’d known without a doubt how much he’d meant it. He’d won her trust a long time ago and had only consolidated it exponentially ever since. What pleased her now was that he’d trusted her enough to believe she was truly ready for this.

  When she shared that with him, she earned another tight
embrace, one she returned, forming a cocoon of legs, arms and the feelings they’d shared and experienced here tonight. The strength of it sent another vibration through her body. Without him holding her, she might have been shivering the way Marcie had when Ben turned her over to their care.

  So many of her concerns about tonight had been handled earlier, Lucas orchestrating things so well to help her leave them on the streets far below. Yet as she recalled holding her sister, the scent of Marcie’s hair, those well-toned biceps, and Marcie’s jokes about being a badass, Cass also thought about the look in Ben’s eyes at the height of their passion, his feelings for Marcie so blatant. And thinking those thoughts, one of those concerns couldn’t help but return.

  “What happens if he loses her? If we lose her?” she asked quietly.

  Ben wasn’t alone in his apprehension about Marcie’s decision to become a police officer. Cass couldn’t imagine—actually, wasn’t sure she could endure—losing another sibling. But unlike Jeremy, Marcie lived every day with vigor and sought out value, wanting to contribute, accomplish, excel. Sometimes her drive to overachieve was overpowering. Cass understood the part she’d played in that, the example she’d provided her. Cass’s path to achievement had been driven by the desperate need to support all her siblings, and Marcie had not escaped unscathed from that difficult path. She might not have had to bear as much of the load as Cass, but she’d shared enough of it to carry that need to prove oneself, to overcome the scars left by uncaring parents, into adulthood.

  And layered on top of that was Marcie’s own overachieving personality. Cass knew her sister would become anything she wanted to be—a cop, a police commissioner, a senator. A female President. Or she’d break herself trying. She had that spark that a person with such strengths and drive had.

  Ben helped her keep some of that drive manageable, so it didn’t pass into unhealthy areas, and Cass was glad for that. But the point was, no matter what happened, Marcie wasn’t Jeremy. Her life would never be wasted. Still… God, how would she handle it, the many times she heard a snippet on the news about an officer-involved shooting, a far too common situation in New Orleans, and…

  “Hey.” Lucas’s tone had her tilting her face up to see his serious eyes, his firm lips. “She’ll be fine. Probably end up being New Orleans’ Superintendent of Police.”

  He was so good at following her train of thought. “That’s what I hope and believe,” Cass responded. “But I worry about it.”

  She didn’t have to say the rest. Lucas loved Marcie, and it was as hard for him as it was for any of the K&A men, accepting the idea that one of “their women” would be embracing such a dangerous job. Peter and Dana had already had several run-ins about the dangerous location of her church. Despite her being blind, she didn’t hesitate to challenge local gang members trying to recruit youthful members of her congregation. But Dana had been an Army sergeant before an IED had taken her sight, and Peter was retired National Guard with a couple Middle East tours under his belt, so he had some predisposition to manage his reaction to his wife going into dangerous situations.

  But Cass knew Lucas and the other men had equally deep worries about Ben, and Cass shared them. Marcie was her blood, but Ben was the center of her sister’s life.

  “If the worst happened, we would help him,” she told Lucas. “We’d take him in, make him live with one or all of us. Hell, we’d all move into Matt’s ranch for as long as it took to get him back on his feet. We’d make him see that life is worth living and has gifts to give, even if he felt like his heart had been taken from him. I wouldn’t let him give up, because that’s what she’d want me to do. All of us to do, for him and for ourselves.”

  “Is that so?” He raised a brow, curious at her tone. She gripped his hand, stroking her face, and nodded, pressing her lips to it.

  “Death matters so much only because life does. It’s what I finally learned from Jeremy, and you helped me see it, with your help and love. You and all our family. His life was so hard, and so much of it was destructive and wasteful. But he made those last days count. You remember the pressed flower the monastery sent me, from the garden he planted and tended? Even if it was only at the end of his life, he made an impression worth remembering. He wasn’t just a morality tale. He still had the capacity to inspire hope against all odds. Which means he was a miracle. A small, softly shining, brief miracle. I’m glad he had that. I’m glad Marcie is pursuing her dreams. I’m glad she and Ben love one another so fiercely. The stars wouldn’t be anywhere as special if they didn’t believe it was worth shining as bright as they can.”

  He tightened his arms around her. “I love you,” he said, with a fervor that warmed her from head to toe.

  “I love you.” She nuzzled her face into his hand again, then gazed up at the canopy ceiling. It was a lovely wheel of cream-colored pleated folds around a center of satiny rosettes. She focused on that and sharing this quiet moment with her husband, letting the worries fade back into their hearts. Still there, but able to be at rest for tonight.

  “So you’d be okay adopting Ben if needed?” When he spoke at last, his teasing tone told her he was taking them back toward their earlier mood. She was more than willing to flow in that direction. Love had taken her down this more serious path, but love could also lead her back to smiles and hope.

  “What was that you said? Abso-fucking-lutely. I’m sure he could prove himself useful. If you can have a sex slave, why can’t I? And I bet he’d look totally hot, doing our yardwork in nothing but those jeans he wears that can’t hide the fact he’s hung like a—”

  She was already laughing, but it elevated to a shriek as Lucas went after her with tickling fingers and chased her across the bed, initiating a wrestling match that resulted in tangled covers and more kissing, his body stretched out on hers. Her eyes lifted to his, finding them suddenly more serious, and he whispered the command to her that her body was already obeying.

  “Spread your legs for me.”

  He wasn’t completely hard, but she understood another full-blown session wasn’t his intent. At least not right now. She’d seen that pool table he mentioned, all gleaming wood and crimson felt. She could only imagine what use Ben and he might make of the pool cues, balls and wooden rack. Or they’d stretch her or Marcie out on the table and shoot a game under bent arms and legs. Whoever won points would be allowed to indulge diabolical pleasures with one or both of them.

  Lucas slid back into her, re-establishing the connection as he banded his arms around her. He pressed his face into her throat as she held him, inside and out. Closing her eyes, she simply floated in his arms, like angels in the sky. They’d have a bath and then the four of them, clean and sated, would sleep in the giant bed, bodies companionably close together, part of a pack that drew warmth, comfort and pleasure from one another in so many ways.

  “Oh.” Her eyes opened. “Did—”

  “Yes, Matt texted me. Cherry got home safe and sound. Her date went well. At least if Talia’s text, ‘She says Chad is so totally awesome’ means that. Don’t worry, Mama Bear.”

  She smiled. After a few moments, she hummed against his throat, her mind turning elsewhere. “Do you think we could get room service this late?”

  “For what we tip the concierge? He’ll get restaurant owners out of bed to cook for us if we want. You want pancakes, don’t you?”

  She wondered when she’d ever stop being surprised how easily he read her mind. She chuckled as he slid from her. As he kissed his way down her body, he left an easy, tempting kiss against her pussy, using his tongue and breath to make her squirm in pleasurable reaction before he slid off the end of the bed and started looking for his slacks. “I’ll ask Ben what he and Marcie want. Might as well get a spread to carry us through to the morning.”

  Part Eleven

  When she and Ben emerged from the bath, Lucas had managed a late night delivery of favorite foods Marcie was sure would put a serious twist in the panties of cardiologists and diabet
es nutritionists everywhere. They’d indulged in their respective choices and, between the eating and everyone getting a bath, they were on their way to restoring themselves for what she was sure was more pleasure to come. But during the lull period, Marcie had simply enjoyed watching her sister and her husband. She hadn’t seen Cass so relaxed, playful and happy in so long. If they hadn’t all been mostly naked, she would have been tempted to snap a picture with her camera phone to show Talia, Nate and Cherry. But as Ben had said, even the most innocuous picture couldn’t hide that Cass looked exactly as he’d described. Well-used, tousled, her lips swollen and body flushed from continuous attention from her Master. And Lucas’s eyes glowed when he looked at her, seeing the same thing Marcie did.

  Marcie had enjoyed the same treatment from her own Dom, but then Ben never shut down his libido except when he slept. And he didn’t sleep that much, she thought with a grin. Except for now.

  They’d eventually drifted back to the bed, and there’d been an amazing, quiet session of lovemaking, each couple in their own world, yet within a couple feet of one another on the spacious mattress. Then, for a while, they all dozed. Even Ben.

  When Marcie opened her eyes, she was clasped in Ben’s strong arms, the best place to be. She saw it was about two in the morning. A moment later, she realized she’d been awakened by a shift of the terrace lights as Cass moved in front of them, slipping out the door to the outside. She’d donned one of the suite’s complimentary fluffy white robes. When she braced her arms on the rail and looked out at the city and the river, her profile was hard to read. Her body language didn’t suggest she was discontent, but if she’d left the bed and the warmth of her husband, her mind was probably turning something over.