by ERIN BEDFORD
“High school,” Aidan said in his usual one-word (well, two in this case) answer.
Seeing as I wasn’t going to get much more from him, I turned my attention to Ian. Ian shrugged. “What he said. Aidan’s actually one of my best friends.”
Brows furrowed in agitation, I smacked my lips. “And you are telling me this now?”
“Would it have mattered?” Ian angled his head to the side, studying me.
“Well...” I crossed my arms over my chest and then dropped them with a sigh. “No. It wouldn’t have.”
Aidan stood from Trina’s bed and slowly approached me as if I were a gazelle he didn’t want to spook. “I have seen us together.”
“That’s not creepy at all.” I pointed a finger at him, backing away from his approaching figure. My back bumped up against Ian, and my eyes darted around, feeling very much like the gazelle facing down a lion.
“Max.” Ian brushed his hand along my arm, his voice soft in my ear. “You’re fighting something you already know you want.”
As he spoke the words, I knew it was true. If I really didn’t want Aidan around, I could have sent him away at any time, but I let him hang around. Sure, I found him attractive and found a certain kind of calm in his quiet shadow. I sure didn’t fear anyone messing with me with Aidan at my side.
Wetting my lips, I nodded slightly.
Aidan took that as the go-ahead.
“Hold on,” I held my hand up, stopping him. “What exactly are you wanting to happen here?”
Ian slid his hands beneath the edge of my shirt, his fingers tickling my skin. “Whatever you want.”
Breathing coming in short gasps, I started to put two in two together. “That’s why you weren’t worried about sharing me with your brother.”
“What?”
“Have you shared women before?” I asked, watching Aidan’s face for any sign of deceit.
“Yes.” That one word boomed out of Aidan’s mouth, and instead of angering me, made my insides melt into a gooey puddle.
“Does that bother you?” Ian brushed his cheek against mine, his fingers dipping into the top of my pants.
Shaking my head vigorously, my mouth dropped open.
“Good.” Aidan stopped before me and then, without warning, ducked his head. His mouth pressed to mine in a hot, aggressive kiss that left me gasping and soaking wet. He pulled away from me, but I practically jumped as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his mouth back down to mine.
Ian chuckled as my legs crossed behind Aidan’s waist, his hands cupping my butt to hold me up. Thankfully, I was able to pull my mouth away before Aidan tried to take us to Trina’s bed.
“My bed’s that way.” I jerked my head toward the other side of the room.
Aidan redirected us toward mine. The last thing I needed was Trina griping at me for doing exactly what she told me not to ... not that I was planning on doing anyone today.
Sitting on my bed, Aidan pulled me into his lap. A second set of hands came up from behind me, slipping beneath my shirt to cup my breasts. When I didn’t protest, my bra was unsnapped, and bare hands held my sensitive skin. Pulling away from Aidan’s mouth with a gasp, Ian took the opportunity to pull my shirt over my head along with my bra.
A rumbling growl came from Aidan, his eyes locking onto my chest. Ian didn’t give him the chance to adore me for very long before he pulled me around to kiss me. His kiss didn’t last long before he was pushing me toward Aidan. Confused but aroused, I let them maneuver me into Aidan’s lap, my head tilted to one side.
Aidan’s mouth immediately found the sensitive spot between my neck and shoulder, his mouth attacking it as his hands found my breasts. Half distracted by Aidan, I barely registered Ian unbuttoning my pants. When he started to pull them down my hips, I jerked up.
“Wait, hold on.”
Ian stopped and glanced up at me for direction.
Torn between wanting to continue and fear of what could happen, I struggled to find my words.
“We’ll go as far as you want. Just tell me if you want to stop.” Ian met my gaze, the seriousness there stilling the anxiety inside of me. I leaned back and nodded, letting him resume his actions. He tossed my pants to the ground and reached toward my panties, and I was suddenly happy to remember that I’d worn cute ones and not my lazy grandma panties.
“Maybe you should lock the door first,” I panted, his fingers inching closer to where I wanted them.
Aidan lifted my head up from my neck long enough to say, “Can’t.”
Shifting my hips to try and grind down on Ian’s hand, I gasped, “What do you mean you can’t?”
Ian paused his hand, causing me to growl in frustration. “Only the owner of the room can lock it.”
At my curious look, Ian continued, even if, unfortunately, his hand didn’t. “It keeps people from taking advantage.”
“Gotcha.” I thought for a moment and stared longingly at the bedroom doorknob. I could wish for the knob to lock but that seemed like a waste of a wish. Also, I couldn’t find my shirt or bra right now, let alone that necklace. I also didn’t want to move from the tantalizing position I was in. It might give the guys ideas of stopping.
Unable to forget about the chance of being interrupted again, I pushed out of their grasp and walked over to the door in only my panties. The whole way there I could feel their eyes on me. I locked the door with a flip of my wrist. When I turned back around the hungry expressions on their faces made me sway my hips just a bit more than usual.
Coming up to the edge of the bed, Aidan grabbed hold of my waist before I could decide where exactly I was before and sat me down in his lap. Something large and stiff rubbed against my butt, and I couldn’t help but wiggle against it.
Aidan grunted, his grip tightening on my waist and urging me to lean back against him once more. My head lulled to one side, allowing Aidan to find the spot on my neck that drove me crazy. My legs fell to either side of his massive thighs, leaving me open and dripping for Ian’s attention.
Ian watched me in Aidan’s arms for a moment, his eyes trailing over my bare breasts, my nipples pebbling at his gaze. Aidan’s large calloused hands cupped my breasts as if putting them on display for Ian. The thought turned me one more than the actual act itself.
When Ian’s hands came up to the edges of my panties, a startled sound escaped me. “Shh, now. You have neighbors. You wouldn’t want to alert them,” Ian murmured, pulling at the side of my underwear as I lifted my hips.
Gasping, my skin completely bare to the room, I asked, “Can’t you do one of those silencer spell thingies?”
Shaking his head, so his hair brushed against my stomach making my muscles clench, Ian said, “No, another rule. Only you can.” Ian dropped his mouth to my stomach, leaving hot open mouth kisses along my pubic bone.
My eyes rolled back, and my hands clenched Aidan’s head behind me the further down Ian dipped. Getting a hold of myself barely, I breathed, “But I don’t know that spell.”
This time Aidan spoke. “Then you must be very, very quiet.” He turned my face toward him, capturing my mouth with his just as Ian’s mouth found my aching center, swallowing my cry. I tried to clamp my legs closed, but Aidan’s thighs kept me from moving, leaving me utterly at their mercy.
Ian hummed against my core, his fingers dipping into me. Overcome by all the sensations, my hips bucked up against him on sheer instinct, urging him deeper inside of me. I let go of Aidan’s mouth to catch my breath and bit down on my lip to keep the groan caught in my throat from coming out.
The closer I came to my release, the brighter the light in my mind’s eye burned. Eventually, it felt like my skin was going to buzz off of my bones and I couldn’t catch a breath. Right when I thought I was going to lose it, that it was becoming all too much for me, Aidan was there.
His hands laced with mine, his deep voice humming in my ear as he coaxed me toward my release. For some reason the chaos inside of me calmed at the touch and the
sound of his voice, keeping it from burning any brighter.
Ian’s mouth and hand moved quicker now, and that urgency to find my release came back with a vengeance. This time, nothing Aidan said could stop the light inside, and my hands tightened in his until I was sure I was hurting him, but he didn’t utter a single word of complaint. Things low inside me tightened deliciously until I couldn’t hold back a loud moan that came along with a flickering of lights.
I released Aidan’s hands and sagged against him, my whole body feeling a bit like a loose noodle.
Ian sat up, wiping his mouth off with the back of his hand. “Now, that wasn’t so bad was it?”
Still reeling from my high, I sighed and giggled. “I think you better teach me that spell.”
Chapter 14
“I can’t believe you have not only one date for Valentine’s but two and I don’t even have one,” Callie whined in my ear.
I grinned and adjusted the phone between my ear and shoulder. “You can’t tell me that you don’t have a line of guys just waiting to take you out for Valentine’s.” I grunted, digging through my closet for the matching shoes to the red dress I’d picked up last weekend with Trina. Paul and Ian were supposed to be here any minute to pick me up for our date.
“Not like you though,” Callie pouted. “It’s hard to want ordinary when you’ve already met extraordinary. None of these guys have magic wands or fingers.”
I huffed a laugh and grinned. If only she knew what other parts of my guys were magical. Just thinking of what Ian did to me with his mouth gave me shivers.
“What was that?”
“What was what?” I asked, shifting the phone from one ear to the other so I could put on my shoes.
“That noise. It sounded like someone got laid and didn’t tell me.”
I rolled my eyes. “You can tell all that from a noise?”
“No, I just know you that well.” Callie quieted for a moment and then when I didn’t say anything asked, “So, which one was it?”
“Which one was what?” I sighed and stood.
I moved over to the mirror on the back of the closet door and smoothed my hands down my dress. The straps were made of lace and about two inches thick, coming down into a square neckline. It showed off just enough of my cleavage without giving away the whole show. The top stopped right under my bust and connected to the bottom skirt with a thin layer of lace, giving a peek-a-boo glimpse of my skin beneath. The skirt itself landed about mid-thigh while the lace overlay continued until just before my knee. I’d left my hair down and curled the ends, so they fell over my shoulders. I felt grown up and ready to go on my first adult date.
Usually, I would go with pretty over sexy, but call me optimistic. I wanted to look good for the Broomsteins. My initial hesitation about letting loose with my magic had been thoroughly squelched by Ian and Aidan’s assistance, and I was ready to find out how far I could go before losing all control.
“Which of the guys did you let stir your cauldron?” I could hear the smile in her voice, and it made me grin in return.
“Sorry to disappoint but no one has stirred my cauldron.” I paused for a moment and then decided to give her a bone. “It did get a thorough cleaning though.” I grimaced at the metaphor, hating what I have been reduced to.
“I knew it!” Callie hooted, and I pulled the phone away from my ear with a pained wince. “How was it? And who was it? I bet it was Dale, it was Dale, wasn’t it? He seems like the type. He does run his mouth a lot, so I’d imagine he has quite a bit of practice with that tongue of his.”
I was so happy that Trina had already left for her date with Libby ... who she had finally asked out. I already had one best friend digging into me. I so didn’t need it from both sides.
“It wasn’t Dale.”
“Then Aidan?” She prodded and then hummed. “I could see that. He has that quiet strong protector vibe about him. Definitely a giver.”
I grinned, remembering how Aidan had touched me. Each brush of his hands was meant to give me pleasure and not a bad kisser either. Ian had been right about fighting my attraction to him. I and my body were extremely happy to have gotten over it.
“No, Aidan didn’t, but he was there.”
There was a pause on the other side of the phone and for a moment I had to look at it to make sure she hadn’t hung up. Nope, still there.
“Callie?”
“Hold on, I’m envisioning it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you are envisioning, please stop. It’s creepy.”
“What?” Callie scoffed. “I don’t have four sexy wizards all hot for my body. I have to live vicariously through you.”
“Well, maybe you should stop thinking about what you can’t have and what you could have there.” I moved over to my desk and pulled out my lip gloss, a red tinted shade to go with my dress. Moving over to the mirror, I reapplied it and then rubbed my lips together. “Are you still coming for Spring Break?”
“Of course! I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Not even to go to the beach with your friends from there?”
“Pfft. What friends? You’re my only friend. No one here gets me the way you do.”
I faked a coo. “That’s so sweet, but I’m still not telling you.”
“Why?” Callie whined. I could practically hear her stomping her feet like a petulant child. “I thought we told each other everything? You told me when you lost your virginity to Jaron.”
“That’s because he dumped me the next day.” I frowned, not liking to talk about my first and only serious boyfriend.
“And I was there to pick up the pieces and remind you that he is a jerk wad who wouldn’t know a good thing if he had it in his lap – which he did! Come on, I think I deserve something. I held your hand and spoon fed you Rocky Road ice cream for Christ’s sake!”
Laughing uncontrollably, I shook my head and sighed. “Fine. Alright, you can stop guilt tripping me. It was Aidan and Ian.”
The squeal that came from the phone made me jerk away from it. I could hear Callie’s high-pitched voice crying out and talking at a rapid pace even with the phone a foot away from me.
Thankfully, I knock on the door – a rapid one, two, three – saved me from having to answer. I put the phone close to my mouth without putting it completely to my ear. “Sorry, gotta go.” My response earned me an irritated rush of complaints before I hung up.
I grabbed my small black clutch, the only appropriate date night purse I had, and put my phone and my lip gloss in it. There was another knock on the door, this time a bit more urgent.
Turning the knob, I pulled the door open while trying to get my bag zipped up. “Sorry, Callie wouldn’t stop talking my ear off.”
“That’s okay.”
My head jerked up, my eyes widening with surprise. Instead of Ian and Paul waiting with me on the other side, Dale stood there looking way too yummy for a drop by. Clearing my throat, I shook off my arousal.
“Hey Dale, what are you doing here?”
Dale gaped at me for a moment, his eyes scanning me from top to bottom. I flushed under the attention he was giving me, happy I’d chosen the dress. “Wow, you look ... wow.”
“Thanks.” I ducked my head and leaned a hand against the door frame.
Dale cleared his throat and shifted from foot to foot. I noticed he had one hand behind his back and looked very much like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
“I know we didn’t make plans for Valentine’s but ...” He moved his arm out from behind him, holding a single red rose in front of him. My eyes widened, and a soft smile curved up my lips. “I thought maybe we could get a bite to eat?”
My shoulders sagged. Crap. I didn’t tell Dale about my date with the brothers. Now I had to figure out how to tell him I couldn’t without hurting his feelings.
Not taking the rose from him, I reached out and touched Dale’s arm. “As much as I would love to, I already have plans.”
�
��Oh?” Dale’s brows rose, and then they shot up even higher when he seemed to realize what I was saying. “Oh, I see you. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have just assumed.” His hand with the rose dropped to his side. “I guess I’ll just talk to you tomorrow?”
He started to go, but I grabbed his shoulder before he could. “Look, I’m new to this and don’t really know the whole precedent for the whole holidays and date thing when dating more than one person. I didn’t think it would be an issue since you never brought it up.”
“I know,” Dale nodded reluctantly. “It’s my own fault for not thinking to ask you earlier. I meant to, I did.” Dale sighed and pushed his glasses further up his face. “My class work this semester has gotten my head. I’m so full of algorithms I barely have enough of my brain straight to brush my teeth. Not that it’s an excuse to forget about you or Valentine’s day.”
“But you didn’t forget.” I gestured to the rose. “You’re here. I should have told you I had planned a date. Can we do something later?” I held my breath, more anxious about Dale’s reaction than I was about getting turned down.
Dale pressed his lips together tightly and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Sounds good.” He moved to leave but then stopped and handed me the rose once more. “Oh yeah, this is for you.”
With gentle fingers, I took the rose from him, letting our fingers brush each other. Before he could try and take off again, probably to go brood, I grabbed his wrist and jerked him toward me. He knocked into me, almost making me lose my balance in my heels. Automatically, his hands wrapped around my waist to keep me from falling.
Not giving him a chance to speak, I cupped his face and kissed him. He didn’t react right away, his body stiff against mine. Then slowly, he adjusted our kiss, angling my head to the side as his hand tangled in my hair. I let go of his face and linked my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me.
My skin warmed and I moaned into his mouth as one of his hands slid down to my butt. He pressed me to his front, the thin fabric of my dress making it even easier to feel the evidence of his arousal. My back touched the frame of the door as Dale’s leg slipped between my thighs, lifting my skirt up slightly. A pulsating need started where his thigh rubbed against my center, and I rocked in response. A low whining moan released as Dale changed the pace of our kissing to that of his leg. I moved up and down against that leg, his tongue darting in and out of my mouth faster and faster. The ball of light in my mind’s eye fluttered with excitement, but I didn’t push Dale away this time. I hugged him closer to me, releasing his mouth with a gasp as my orgasm hit.
