Come to think of it, he was experiencing a very human urge to have a drink. He saw that as a good sign — he wanted to react to situations as a human might.
“I will,” he said. “We both will.”
He took Hayley by the hand and walked with her down the hill toward the apartment that had been his home for the past year and a half. She didn’t shy away from his touch, so whatever had troubled her as she watched him erase the memories of those civilians, she apparently had come to terms with it.
As the two of them came up to the building’s entrance, Lucinda and Brandon approached as well. The two of them were smiling and talking, and clearly had enjoyed the past hour a great deal more than Levi himself had. They looked a little startled to bump into Levi and Hayley, but Brandon seemed to recover himself, saying, “Oh, hi. I was just about to text you, Hayley. Lucinda and I are heading down to Cottonwood — she wants to see the shop.”
Clearly, this news surprised Hayley, because her eyes widened for a moment before she replied, “Are you sure that’s safe?”
“I thought Cottonwood was safe,” Brandon said, even as Lucinda began to frown slightly.
“Well, considering there was just another demon attack, and Cottonwood isn’t warded — ”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, she’s serious,” Levi responded. “However, I think Cottonwood should be all right, as long as you stay around other people.”
Brandon appeared to relax slightly at that comment. “No worries there. The shop always has at least five other guys working there, and if we don’t come straight back to Jerome afterward, the only place we’d go is Old Town Cottonwood. Totally public.”
“It should be fine, then.”
Lucinda spoke for the first time. “No one will mind that I go, will they?”
Hayley offered her a reassuring smile. “Of course not. It’s good for you to be getting out and about. Also, we just heard that Rachel is okay and should be coming home tomorrow, so that’s one less thing to worry about.”
“Oh, that’s great news.” Lucinda smiled as well, although something about her expression seemed slightly hesitant. Possibly she was wondering whether she would be going back to stay at Rachel’s apartment that night, even though she’d have to be there alone.
Good question. Hayley didn’t know if anyone had thought that far ahead, but they’d have to make some kind of arrangements. Maybe she could go crash there, too, so Lucinda wouldn’t be by herself? That was something they could ask Angela, she supposed, once she was back home, especially if it turned out that the prima and primus wanted to talk to Levi.
Brandon nodded. “Anyway, if you need us for anything, just text me. We might stay down there for dinner…it depends on how long we hang out at the shop.”
“But be back before it gets too dark,” Levi warned him, and Hayley watched as her brother’s expression turned guarded. Clearly, he would rather not have been reminded of the shadow looming over the town.
“We will. No worries there. ’Bye, Hayley.”
The two of them headed toward the back of the building, where Brandon’s car was parked. Hayley watched them walk away, then gave a small lift of her shoulders. “Let’s go in.”
An excellent idea. Before today, Levi had never minded the multiple flights of stairs he had to climb to get to his flat, figuring they were good exercise if nothing else, but now he was reminded of how weary he was, of how every step began to feel like torture. The confrontation with that demon had drained him far more than he first thought, and he didn’t like the sensation. At least he wasn’t alone, however — from the way Hayley followed a few stairs behind him, he guessed she must be almost as tired.
Eventually, though, they reached the landing, and he went to the door to his flat and turned the knob. “I was thinking about some wine,” he said, but in a neutral tone, since he didn’t know for sure whether Hayley was also in need of some liquid relaxation, or whether she wanted to go lie down and be alone for a while.
A bright smile spread over her face, though, and she replied, “That sounds perfect. After that nightmare, I need a drink.”
“Then come on in.”
She followed him inside his flat and into the kitchen, where he got down a pair of wine glasses from the cupboard. The bottle of chardonnay they’d opened the day before but never finished was still sitting in the refrigerator, so Levi got that out and poured some for each of them.
“I also have the leftover cheese and crackers,” he offered, but Hayley shook her head.
“No, thank you. That is, not right now, anyway. That encounter with the demon kind of killed my appetite.”
“I understand.” Or, he thought he did, even though he was starting to feel hungry himself. The battle up at the overlook in the canyon had sapped more of his strength than he’d thought. For now, though, the wine should suffice.
Hayley sat down on the couch, and Levi took a seat next to her, although not too close. More than anything he wanted to reach out to her, hold her in his arms and taste her sweet lips again, but he wasn’t sure if that was what she wanted right now. She still seemed a little shaky, a little diffident, as if she hadn’t yet quite come to terms with what she’d witnessed during that battle and in its aftermath.
“Lucinda seems like she’s doing okay,” Hayley said after sipping at her chardonnay. A small frown creased her fine brows. “Actually, I’m surprised at how well she’s doing. I didn’t think she’d bounce back that quickly, especially after what I heard about how long it took Danica to recover from the same kind of ordeal.”
“They are different people,” Levi said. He realized the words might have come off as sounding harsh, and so he went on, “That is, Lucinda had already had some experience of Matías Escobar. She knew what to expect, as terrible as it might have been. Also, although he used his powers to draw her to him, he did not otherwise hurt her. When Danica was taken by him, she also had to witness him and his cohorts using her friend to power their evil spells. That was not the situation at the Santiago house in Pasadena. Marisol was under Joaquin Escobar’s power and passive but pleasant. I’m not even sure how much interaction she and Lucinda had.”
“It was still terrible.” Hayley’s eyes were haunted, dark with imagined horrors.
Had he blundered in making those statements? All he’d been trying to do was point out why Lucinda Santiago might not have been as damaged by her interactions with Matías Escobar as Danica Wilcox had been. “Of course it was terrible,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to imply that it wasn’t. But her experience was still different. She’s a different person, too — older than Danica was when she underwent her ordeal. She had already formed mechanisms for coping with what Matías had done to her, whereas Danica had no such experience.”
“I suppose that makes sense.” Hayley ran a finger around the base of her wine glass, her gaze turned away from him. “And really, I’m glad to see she’s doing so well, and glad that she and Brandon have hit it off. I wasn’t really expecting that.”
“Your brother doesn’t enjoy the company of women?” Levi hoped he had phrased the question delicately enough. He’d wondered several times over the past few months whether Brandon McAllister was like his cousin Kirby, who obviously preferred to be with men. Not because of anything Brandon did or said, but more because Levi had seen women in town attempt to be flirtatious with his next-door neighbor and not get very far. He was always polite, but distant at the same time.
“Oh, he does. I mean, he’s had girlfriends in the past, but it always seemed as if he was more wrapped up in working on his cars.” Hayley swirled the straw-colored wine in her glass a few times, then sipped at it. “I guess he just hadn’t met the right person yet.”
“And you witches and warlocks tend to know when you’ve met the right person.”
“That’s the theory.” Her shoulders lifted, and she added, “It doesn’t always work out that way. I didn’t think it was going to for me.” As she spoke, sh
e looked up from her wine glass so her gaze could meet his. “But then I met you.”
Her eyes were so very blue, deep and vast as the oceans he’d never seen. Levi didn’t recall setting down his glass, but he must have, because he reached out with both hands to cup her face, to feel the petal softness of her skin against his fingertips. Her lips parted, and that was all the invitation he needed to kiss her again, to taste the crispness of the chardonnay on her mouth, and something beneath that, a savor both sweet and wild, one that was only her. He lifted one hand from her cheek so he could take the wine glass from her hands and set it down on the coffee table as well.
It seemed the most logical thing in the world to push her down against the sofa cushions then, to feel the warmth and the curves of her body. She let out a startled little gasp, but she didn’t try to stop him, only wrapped her arms around him and pulled him even closer. Levi could feel himself responding, sense how his body reacted to the way he lay on her, felt his groin touch hers. They were both fully clothed, but in that moment he began to understand what would come next…if she let him.
He cautiously moved one hand up under the T-shirt she wore, again marveling at the exquisitely soft texture of her skin. Would she tell him to stop now, or even move away slightly, thus signaling that she didn’t want matters to progress any further?
But no, Hayley didn’t say anything, only sighed softly as his hand moved upward, finally grazing the edge of her bra, fingers touching the lace of the garment. Here he paused, because he knew if he reached up to cup her breast, to feel her in such an intimate way, that he would have crossed over a boundary, one he couldn’t easily retreat from. Was he ready for that? His body told him that he was, but even so….
“It’s all right, Levi,” she whispered. “I — I want you to. I want you. Is — is that okay?”
Oh, it was definitely more than okay. He nodded, replying, “It’s more than I’d hoped for. You are more than I could have hoped for. But….”
“But what?”
“Do you mind if we go to the bedroom? It seems that it would be more comfortable than this couch.”
She chuckled. “You’re probably right.”
Then her delicate features went quiet and still, as if she had just realized what she’d agreed to. Would she demur now that the situation had become so much more real? Levi forced himself not to say anything else, knowing that this was her decision to make, and if she decided to stop now, he would have to abide by her choice. Perhaps it was all too soon….
A smile spread over her lips, and she reached up to brush the hair away from his forehead. Still smiling, she asked, “Are you going to show me your bedroom, Levi?”
Was she really doing this?
Yes, she was really doing this.
They got up from the sofa and walked back to Levi’s room. The layout of the flat was almost identical to her brother Brandon’s, only mirrored, so here the larger bedroom occupied the same position as the room Hayley was borrowing at her brother’s place. Like the rest of Levi’s apartment, the room was conspicuously neat, with a queen-size bed in a simple oak frame, and an oak bedside table and low dresser. More black and white photos of Sedona and Jerome hung here as well.
She didn’t pay much attention to the decor after that, because Levi was kissing her again, and then they fell onto the bed, his weight on her as he kissed her over and over, his hand once again slipping up under her T-shirt. This time, however, his fingers did close around her breast, and she gasped aloud, her entire body thrilling at his touch, his skin so warm, even through the lacy fabric of her bra. To help him out, she grasped the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it up and over her head. In response, he buried his face in the valley between her breasts, both hands now closing on her, caressing.
Oh, Goddess, that was good. It would be even better without the bra in the way, though. She reached back and undid the clasp, since she figured Levi might have a difficult time managing that task. He pulled the bra away, and his eyes widened.
“You are so very beautiful,” he whispered.
A warm thrill went through her. Hayley knew she’d never had a man gaze at her the way Levi did then, as though she was a goddess, and deserving of his worship. Not that she wanted him to worship her — she wanted him to make love to her.
And she also wanted to get his T-shirt off as well.
Her fingers curled around the edge of the garment and tugged it upward. At once he reached down and grasped it as well, so in less than a second it was up and over his head, and tossed somewhere on the floor.
Oh, dear lord, he was amazing. Never in her life had she seen a man so perfectly sculpted, so, well…godlike. She wanted to run her hands over the muscles of his chest and stomach just so she could convince herself that they were real.
Which was exactly what she did. His skin was smooth, with only a light sprinkling of golden hair at the center of his chest. The muscles underneath that skin were so rock hard, she was sure she could’ve bounced a quarter off his stomach.
And speaking of rock hard….
She grasped his belt buckle and pulled his belt through the loops, loosening it so she could undo the button and zipper of his jeans. He made a small, shocked sound, as if he hadn’t guessed that she would be quite so bold. Well, she was going to be bold. They were here now in bed together, and she needed him. Wanted him. Needed to feel his skin against hers, wanted to feel him in her. Maybe then she’d be able to forget how that demon had come flying out of nowhere, how she still didn’t feel quite safe, despite the wards Levi had set.
Her fingers slipped under the waistband of his jeans, and the briefs he wore underneath. A couple of tugs, and he was free, completely naked, the pants kicked off to land somewhere beyond the foot of the bed.
Oh, dear Goddess, he was definitely human. Every inch. Her fingers closed on his erection, and she began to slowly move her hand up and down. His head rocked back, and a moan escaped his throat.
Careful, she told herself. He’s never done this before. You don’t want to make him come before you’re ready.
That was for sure. Yes, she could always wait for him to bounce back, so to speak, but she’d rather not. After caressing him a few more times, she let go so she could undo the zipper on her own jeans and slide them off. Eyes gleaming, he took hold of her panties and tugged them down as well. And then they were both naked, bodies clasped together, as he kissed her throat and worked his way to her breast, his mouth closing on her so his tongue could glide over her nipple.
A jolt of heat went through her, almost as electric as the bolts he’d flung at the demon earlier. No, she didn’t want to think about that. She only wanted to focus on the exquisite sensations flooding through her body as he suckled on her, even as one hand moved down to slip between her legs.
This time she cried out, glad that no one was around to hear. Because she couldn’t stop the gasping moans that escaped her lips as Levi stroked her. How did he even know to do that? Instinct? Had he studied human sexuality?
Right then, she realized she really didn’t care. All that mattered was the way he made her feel.
She came hard, clamping down on his fingers as the orgasm rushed through her, the moan that accompanied it really more of a scream. And when she opened her eyes, she saw him watching her with a surprised tenderness, as though he was happy he’d been able to evoke such a response from her, even if he wasn’t quite sure how it had all happened.
Time to return the favor.
Hayley reached down and stroked him a few more times, then wrapped her legs around him and pulled him close, felt him brush against her entrance. He gasped, but still seemed to hesitate.
“Yes, Levi,” she whispered. “It’s all right. Please.”
He apparently didn’t need any encouragement beyond those words, because she felt him push against her, and then into her, sliding so deep she let out a gasp of her own. Good Goddess, he was big. It had been a while for her, so it took a moment for them to find their rhythm,
for them to begin moving together in unison. Once they did, though, every stroke seeming to drive him deeper, she shut her eyes and focused on the sensation of him filling her, of realizing she felt even closer to him now than she did when she mingled her powers with his.
His breathing began to speed up, and she knew he was probably going to come soon. That was fine — she could feel the spreading heat within her, the orgasm building. All she could do was cling to him as he thrust into her, faster now, starting to lose his rhythm as the moment approached.
And then he groaned, and she cried out, and they rode the wave together, her fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders as his hands clasped her by the waist. The world roared in her ears, and she clung to him, needing to feel him, to have him anchor her to this spot, to make sure she didn’t dissolve into a being of pure ecstasy.
The glow began to fade after a moment, and Hayley pulled in a breath, made herself repeat the charm to Blessed Brigid, the one that would keep her from conceiving. Her love for Levi was fragile and new, and the entire clan was facing an enemy the likes of which none of them had ever seen. As the charm itself said, now was not the time.
His hand passed over her tumbled hair, and he breathed into her ear, “I love you, Hayley.”
“I love you, Levi,” she said. Yes, she did. She knew that now, knew she could never be with anyone else. Maybe in the future their relationship would cause some problems with her parents, but for this blessed moment, she could only revel in her closeness to him, could only breathe in the warm scent of his skin and feel the welcome weight of his body against hers.
“I never,” he began, then paused. Very gently, he kissed her cheek, and, just as gently, eased himself out of her.
She knew that in a minute she’d need to head to the bathroom to get cleaned up, but for now, she only wanted to be in bed with him. “You never what?” she asked softly.
Deep Magic (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 13) Page 21
