Fletcher: The Cursed Clan: Book 4

by Schroeder, Melissa

  “Are you going to just lay there and watch me sleep?” he asked.

  Slumber left his voice deeper, sexier. Bloody hell, she didn’t think she could find him any more attractive. But his voice in the dark…that was the stuff female wet dreams were made of.

  She said nothing but smiled as she slipped over his body to cover him. He opened his eyes, just barely. A hint of blue peeked out at her.

  His lips curved. Just that simple look had her body craving more.

  “Hey,” he said, desire now threading his voice.

  “Hey, yourself.” Serena leaned down to nibble on his chin.

  “How long have you been watching me?”

  “Not long,” she said as he wrapped his arms around her and rose to brush his mouth against her.

  He sighed, and his eyes slid closed once more. Again, she gave the barest of kisses, but the innocence of the kiss didn’t negate the rising passion within her. She knew she was in trouble when she was losing her head over a simple kiss.

  She pulled back and he opened his eyes. “Nicest way to wake up is to have a faery next to me in bed.”

  “Indeed?” she asked with a chuckle. “Just how many faeries have you been with?”

  “I only know one. The only one that matters.”

  Her heart squeezed tight at the comment. He said it as if it wasn’t that important. But it was to her. She had never been the only one that mattered for any man. She smiled as his hands slipped down to cup her rear end.

  “So, tell me, how do I stack up to the average human?”

  “Are you seriously asking me to give you a rating?”

  She cocked her head to one side and studied him. “I think so.”

  A look of pure panic passed over his expression. “Nope. No way.”

  “Why not?” she asked, frowning.

  “I refuse to give you a review, but I will say...” his voice trailed off and when he spoke next, his voice was more serious. “It was unlike anything I’ve experienced before.”

  Her heart turned over. She had never felt anything like this before. She’d had sex, but this was something different. In the short time she had known him, she had fallen for him. It was beyond need and sex. It was much more than that. Her heart was involved, and he gained more ownership each time he spoke like this. He was always cracking a joke, so when he spoke in solemn tones she knew it was notable.

  “It was the same for me.” He didn’t look that pleased with that answer. What did he want from her? A declaration of love? Now, it was her turn to panic, but she fought against it. Serena wasn’t accustomed to fits of anxiety. Still, she wanted him to know how she felt. “You know that you are important to me, Fletcher, don’t you?”

  He studied her for a long moment. “Yes. I guess I hoped...you know it’s the same for me. I didn’t do this lightly.”

  “I know. So, for the time we have left, we will just take that time to experience each other.”

  His brow furrowed. “The time we have left? Where are you going?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The phrase makes it sound like you’re going to leave soon. Where would you be going?”

  Bloody hell. Being around Fletcher was definitely going to her head. She had never been through this before. Falling for anyone, human or fae, was almost like being drunk. At least, that’s what she’d heard. She wasn’t quite there yet, but she fell a little more each time they were together. It was only going to get worse now that they had made love.

  “Rena?”

  She smiled hoping to hide what was really going on in her head. “Nowhere, I just meant for our mission. We can revisit it after we are through.”

  His frown dissolved and his expression lightened. “I think that sounds like a brilliant plan.”

  He shifted his weight, bringing his hardened cock in contact with her sex. Hunger rose within her. It hit her like a wave of warm air, seeping into her flesh all the way down to her soul. She had never shied away from sex, but from the moment she’d met Fletcher, there had been this compulsion. It pulled at her, disturbed her sleep, and now, she could not seem to get enough of him. The room glowed as the heat rose. She knew he could see and feel it also.

  She gave him a smile, then lowered her head to kiss his chest. Slowly, she made her way down his body, enjoying the taste of his flesh as she kissed her way down to his cock. Serena rose to kneel between his legs. Wrapping her hand around the base of his shaft, she stroked him. He groaned.

  “You might be the death of me, Rena.”

  She smiled up at him. “You’re immortal, Fletcher. Deal with it.”

  Bending her head, she took him into her mouth, just the tip of his cock. She swirled her tongue around the head, then took him fully into her mouth. She loosened her throat, so she could fit the length of him inside of her mouth. Each time she pulled back, she teased the tip, swiping her tongue over it. Again and again, she slid him into her mouth, relishing the salty-sweet taste of him against her tongue. His legs shifted restlessly beside her on the mattress, as he molded his hands to the back of her head to urge her on. His groans increased in volume. She wanted this. She wanted to feel him come into her mouth, but Fletcher had other plans.

  In one fast move, he pulled Serena up and rolled them over the bed. His breathing was rough as were his movements. This wasn’t the practiced lover she had had earlier. Now, this was a man driven over the edge.

  He kissed her, demanding, overwhelming. Her soul rejoiced in it. Loved the feeling of the man taking charge, challenging her. Still, she knew what she was about and wanted to demand her equal share. With a shove, she got him on his back again. Straddling him, she felt the power surge through her. The lights were dancing through the air. She’d had good sex, great sex actually, before this, but nothing had been this intense, this magickal.

  She lifted up off of him, took his cock into her hand, then slid down on him. Slowly, surely, she rode him. He lifted off the bed, and instead of trying to take control again, he just took one nipple into his mouth. He teased it, grazing his teeth over it before sucking on it hard. She felt the tug of arousal all the way to her sex.

  Bloody hell. She rode him harder, faster. He was moving with her, their thrusts pushing them further and further, and then, she exploded, as did the room. Lights sparkled like fireworks around them. All the colors shimmered in the heated air. Her orgasm left her shivering, and before she was completely recovered, he thrust up into her again setting off another one. She screamed as pleasure ripped through her, leaving her almost breathless. His fingers dug into her flesh as he thrust into her once more. He shouted her name as he dropped off into ecstasy with her.

  They both collapsed on the bed. Their heavy breathing was the only sound in the room.

  “Wow,” he said, still panting. “Bloody hell, Rena.”

  She smiled and licked his nipple.

  “I was right though.”

  “About what?” he asked.

  “You survived.”

  There was a beat of silence, then he chuckled. “Just barely.”

  She lifted herself up and looked down at him. “But you did live through it.”

  “True enough.” He lifted his head up off the pillow to give her a kiss. “Thank you.”

  “For what? We both gained pleasure.”

  “Thank you for sharing a part of yourself with me. I know it doesn’t come to you easily.”

  How did he keep doing that? Serena blinked back against the press of tears as she fought against the rising need she had for him. As she thought before, it went beyond sex, beyond passion, beyond anything she had ever felt for a man.

  “Rena?”

  She shook her head. “You are most welcome.”

  He smiled then pulled her down against him. She could feel his breathing even out as she tried to tell herself it would all be okay. Even if she didn’t survive, at least they would have this together. Memories were better than nothing.

  She pushed those thoughts aside as she
felt drowsiness slip over her. She drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, both he and Rena were famished. There wasn’t much in the house to eat, so they decided to head into town and try out another local restaurant. After eating a massive amount, they grabbed some coffee to go, and window shopped.

  “I would never have thought you would be one for something like this,” Fletcher said.

  She glanced at him. “What do you mean?”

  “You know, like normal things.”

  “I like to do normal things.” She stopped walking. “What do you mean? Do you think I’m not normal?”

  He stopped and turned around to look at her. She was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, looking, well, like an indignant faery. He was pretty sure if he told her that, he would get blasted with some kind of magick.

  “No.” One eyebrow rose. “I mean, yes, you are normal.”

  He stepped closer, and the scent of her hit him again. He had watched her get ready that morning and didn’t see her put any perfume on. Still, there was that amazing fragrance, the one that always seemed to draw him closer. It made him dizzy.

  “What I mean is that you seem so intense. Things like this are leisure activities that you might look down upon.”

  Her frown turned darker. “I can do leisure. In fact, if we would have a particularly good haul, I would jump at the chance of a holiday. It was always hard with the M and M’s.”

  “How so? They seem like the type who would go for that.”

  “Did you just put down my two best friends?”

  “No. I meant that you seemed to do most of the work?”

  “There you go, you called my friends lazy.”

  “I did not. I meant...”

  She started laughing. In fact, she was laughing so hard that she bent over and held her stomach.

  “Oh, that was brilliant.”

  He stood watching her, only mildly irritated. “Is that a fact?”

  “Yes. Your face was so perfect. Anice is right. It is fun to mess with you.”

  The sun was shining behind her and she was smiling at him for once. In that moment, he knew he loved her. It didn’t sneak up on him. Instead, it hit him like a full blast, almost knocking him over with the knowledge. It was probably insane to fall for a faery who hid so much from him. Still, the knowledge of it filtered through him as he watched her. He should be scared to death given his history with women, but it felt...right.

  “You are brilliant, you know?”

  Even Fletcher heard the change in his tone and there was no denying his admiration.

  Her smile faded, and her expression turned wary. “What?”

  He shook his head unable to say more for fear of alarming her.

  “No. You can’t look at me like that and not tell me what is going on.”

  “It’s like I said last night. You are very important to me.”

  She opened her mouth to respond, but he stepped closer and pressed his fingers against her mouth. Her eyes widened, and he rubbed his thumb over her lips, then bent his head to kiss her. It was simple, nothing that lustful, but it was full of romance. In that little gesture, he could feel her heart beating out of control. That heady feeling hit him again.

  “Whoa,” he said, trying to steady himself.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I thought I could hear your heart beating.”

  “You probably did. It has to do with our intimacy.”

  “So, you can feel things I’m feeling?”

  She nodded. “I always could before, but now, it is more intense than before.”

  “I guess we can deal with that later.”

  She nodded but looked away. He felt her attention shift to something behind him and he turned to look. He didn’t see it at first, but then, he did. A man was standing in the distance, taking pictures with a long-range lens. He turned around to face her again.

  “I guess we gave him a show.”

  “It doesna bother you?”

  He shrugged. “It’s what we needed. He probably works for McDougall. If not, he works for a rag. Either way, we’ll get her attention.”

  She sighed and nodded. He felt her withdrawing from him.

  “No. Don’t do that. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  She said it in a tone that told him something was definitely wrong. Serena moved to step around him, but he didn’t allow her. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her closer.

  “Tell me,” he said, not letting her look away from him.

  “It’s not something I’m accustomed to. I keep my affairs behind closed doors.”

  “And?”

  “You are very special to me, Fletcher. I hate that we have to put a show on even though it will help us. That’s all.”

  “When this is over, we’ll go on a private getaway just the two of us. How does Athens sound?”

  She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I love Greece.”

  “Then it’s settled.”

  She nodded. He gave her a quick kiss and tried to take away the sad look she had in her eyes.

  “Let’s do a little more window shopping. They have a shop with some toys. Let’s get Jack something.”

  * * *

  They spent so much time shopping that they ate lunch in town, then returned to the house. The mission had been successful. They had caught the attention of the press, and they had found another great train for Jack’s growing collection.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Maggie said over the phone. Serena rolled her eyes. It didn’t matter how many miles separated them, her friend always knew there was something wrong.

  “Nothing.”

  “Bollocks. Tell me.”

  She sighed. “There’s a bit more to this than I thought.”

  “The job? Should be easy.”

  “Says the woman who isna here and has no idea where they are keeping the ruby.”

  “But I do know where they are keeping it.”

  Irritation crawled down her spine. “What? You waited ten minutes before telling me?”

  “I’ll tell you about that if you tell me exactly what has you so freaked out.”

  Maggie fooled a lot of people. It was part of who she was. Being a witch, she could work spells that would put humans at ease or make herself appear like a diminutive female who couldn’t take care of herself. Her small frame and stature, along with her big, green eyes often fooled people. The truth was that she could stand her ground against the biggest and the baddest witch. She also knew how to twist the screws in her best friends.

  “I am not freaked out.”

  But she was. There was a part of her that was definitely panicking. She wanted to transport out of there and go to Paris. She could drink champagne and enjoy people-watching. Or she could go to Hawaii and lay on a beach. That would be nice. She could even find some very sexy Hawaiian to have a fling with. But even as she thought it, the idea fell flat. Any man other than Fletcher just didn’t appeal to her. She might be facing down the murderer of her family, but she was more afraid of falling for Fletcher.

  “Serena Fay, spit it out.”

  She sighed knowing there was no way of avoiding the discussion. “We were out today shopping--”

  “You don’t shop.”

  “I do too.”

  “Not really. Were you on a mission to find something?”

  “No.”

  “So, you were walking along window shopping with Fletcher. That sounds romantic.”

  “It’s part of the job.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s more. I can tell from the tone in your voice.”

  “Fletcher kissed me, and I saw a man taking pictures.”

  “Oh. Well...like a paparazzi?”

  “That or someone gathering information.”

  “Well, that’s good then, right?”

  ‘Yes, but I’m not accustomed to that. You know that I am a very private woman.”

  “
True. But there’s something...” Her voice trailed off. “Oh.”

  “Oh, what?”

  “You slept with him.”

  She looked out the window to where Fletcher was on the phone with one of his cousins. “Yes.”

  “And you love him. Oh, Rena.”

  Her voice was a strange mixture of happy and sad. Maggie knew that it would not be easy for Serena.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “You said you would never settle down. That you wanted to avenge your family.”

  “Yes.”

  Although now, it didn’t seem that important. Not with a baby hanging in the balance and her friends’ happiness at stake. They were her family now, the ones who would have her back no matter what.

  “You should take a chance on him.”

  “I did that last night. Several times.”

  “Several? Well, hmm. I have to ask.”

  “What?”

  “There’s always been a lot of rumors about him. You know there are so many women.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well?”

  She smiled as he looked up at her. Their gazes caught and lingered. She felt that connection as the air sparked around her. Just the memory of his lovemaking left her weak, but a look like that…she couldn’t keep herself from yearning. “Very well deserved.”

  Maggie cackled. “I have to tell Meghan.”

  Alarm spread through her. Maggie could be trusted, but Meghan had a need for gossip and to spread it around. “No, you don’t. You know she can’t keep her mouth shut.”

  “True. Wait, there’s Phoebe. I’m talking to Rena.”

  She heard Phoebe’s voice but couldn’t make out what she said. “She says she has something to tell you.”