by Celeste Raye
“None of that is your fault, Cira. I know that you two have some things to work out, but you're here now, and you don't have to address all of that right this instant. All you have to do is figure out what's going on with that kiss. It was pretty hot. We all saw it.”
Cira smiled in response, but it had just made matters worse. She didn't know what she was supposed to do.
There was plenty of room for them to stay the night. Broch needed a shower, and she was bringing him some towels when he asked her to come into the bathroom.
“Here are those towels, Broch; do you need anything else?”
“I want you to stay with me for a little while. I want to talk to you.”
“It’s okay, Broch. We don’t have to talk right now. Just relax.”
“I was hoping that you could help me.”
Cira was never one to turn away someone asking her for help. She wanted to believe that it was something to take his mind off of the time that he was under Marl’s spell. She could only imagine what that felt like.
“What did you need help with?”
He smiled and stuck his head out of the shower. “I really need someone to wash my back. You up for the job?”
Cira wasn’t expecting that, and she wondered if he really needed help or not.
“Of course, I will help you. You need your back washed?”
“Well, it’s more than that. I have some wounds that I can’t get clean, and I need the rocks or whatever it is in there that is used, so that my body can heal. If not, it’s going to heal poorly.”
That sounded legitimate, and she was feeling better about the idea of it all. Cira didn’t know where her mind was going to make her think that he wanted something more from her. She felt ridiculous even thinking about it. Considering what he’d just been through and their history together, that was most likely the last thing on his mind.
“Sure, of course, Broch. Anything I can do to help.”
She took her socks off and was about to get in the shower when he suggested that she take off a little bit more.
“Why don’t you take off your dress too, Cira? I wouldn’t want you to get your dress all ruined. It looks like good material.”
She scoffed for a moment, but Broch was back in the shower, and she was left staring at the curtain. He was kidding, right?
Cira didn’t know what to do. She was shaking on the inside and was still unsure of where they stood. They needed to have that talk, but she didn’t think that it would happen wet and naked.
“Are you sure?”
Chapter Fifteen
He heard her making sounds on the other side of the curtain, but Broch refused to look. He was convinced that if he did, there was no way that he was going to be able to keep up the charade. His body would heal on its own without her help, but it was all he could think about.
While he was under Marl’s control, all Broch was thinking about was Cira. It was like he was finally seeing her for who she was, even though she’d been standing right in front of him all along. He liked to believe that she still felt the same, and if not, she would again soon.
When the curtain opened, he looked. He couldn’t help it. Cira was standing there in a bra and panties. She wasn’t looking all that shy. He would have taken a bite out of her right then and there if he would have been able.
Her legs were impossibly long, and her round ass was just as pert as her breasts. Everything about her was breathtaking, and it didn’t take long for the white bra and panty set to get wet and become see-through.
“How can I wash your back if you’re facing me?”
Broch didn’t have an answer for her. He was trying his best to tear his eyes away, but it was impossible and he finally told her that he didn’t know if he was going to be able to look away.
“You’re going to have to. They are just boobs, Broch.”
“Yes, I know. They are just really nice.”
She giggled and then stopped herself. Broch could tell that Cira wasn’t all that happy with how things were working out. He had to say something to smooth it all over, but he had no idea what it was that he wanted to say.
“I am sorry, that wasn’t what I meant to say.”
He cursed himself as he turned around and looked at the water coming out of the showerhead. Obviously, he wasn’t able to look at her and not lust after her. It was nice, not having to look at her for a while. He was trying his best to hold it together, and he was doing good. If he didn’t have to see her, it was far easier to be in the shower with her.
“It’s okay, really. I have a way of saying the wrong thing too. I will just take it as a compliment and we can move on.”
He sighed and thanked her. “You don’t know how good that sounds.”
Then her hands were touching him ever so lightly, and he had to brace himself. He felt light-headed again.
“Are you alright, Broch?”
“Yeah, I just am dizzy.”
“Do you want me to help you lie down?”
Broch shook his head. The woman had soft fingertips, running all down his back, and now she was applying soap and making her hands slippery.
“You know, I don’t see much in these wounds. How did you get them?”
Broch had no idea where all of them had come from. Some were self-inflicted while he was under Marl’s control, some were from what was asked of him, and then some were directly from Marl. She had not liked some of his thoughts.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
She was silent for a time, her hands working to lather up his back. It only made her tiny fingertips more slippery, and they were gliding over his skin quickly. He was starting to shake a little inside. Broch was ruined. He knew how good a woman could make him feel—and that was a witch that he didn’t want. Broch wanted Cira badly, and before he knew what he was doing, he was pushing her up against the tiled bathroom wall and kissing her.
Cira made a sound of submission that drove him mad with need. Broch wasn’t even really thinking; he was doing. His hands went to her waist, raising her into his arms, and then he settled her down on his hard length. She called out, loudly, and it made him stop and pulled him from whatever had taken hold of him.
She clenched every inch of him, and Cira made a whimpering sound. “I didn’t know.”
Her eyes closed and she didn’t answer him. Her hands were wrapped around his neck, and Broch didn’t know what to do. He was stunned with himself, with her virgin status, as well as how quickly it had all escalated.
“I’m sorry, Cira. Do you want me to stop?”
Cira shook her head that she didn’t, but she still had her eyes clenched shut. Broch hated the idea that he had hurt her in any way. She was just as innocent as she appeared.
“I didn’t know.”
“It’s okay.”
“Then look at me.”
Cira’s blue eyes were sparkling and a little red-rimmed. It looked like there was a flood of emotions and she was overwhelmed.
“I wouldn’t have done it this way if I would have known.”
He was still holding her up against the wall, his member jammed full hilt inside of her, and she was holding on for dear life. Broch could feel the nails that were stuck into his neck.
She moved a little bit and made a moaning sound. Broch told her to stop moving.
“Let yourself get used to it. I don’t want to hurt you, Cira.”
She whimpered and did it again, on purpose.
“It feels good though; really good.”
“Yeah?”
She agreed, “Yeah.”
Cira tried to make those small moves, pleasuring herself.
“Why don’t you let me take over for a little bit, Cira? I promise that I will make you feel so good.”
“You already have.”
It was like Broch realized then how far off the moment was from what he wanted their first time to be. He had gotten swept away in a moment and done something that he wasn’t supposed to. Now, he was w
ondering if that was enough.
“Do you want me to take you to bed?”
“I want you to stop talking Broch and make me feel good.”
He grinned at her answer. That was certainly something that he could do, something he was dying to do. He leaned in and kissed her, pulling out and pushing in as he did. She called out into his mouth, but Broch swallowed up the sound with his lips.
Starting with a slow and steady pace, he moved inside of her quickly, making her whimper and moan until she finally called out so loud that he wasn’t able to make it any less. He didn’t want to. Broch had long since stopped caring about anyone hearing them. He was claiming her, and while it wasn’t the right way, it was good enough for him. It meant the same thing.
His lips moved to her neck, his need throbbing inside of her. Every wave of pleasure brought an equal bit of suffocation for him. Every time she clenched him, he throbbed a little more and started to jerk. It made her call out again until he finally started to move. Broch wasn’t Superman, and he wasn’t going to be able to last much longer in her hot vice.
Broch’s hips moved faster, as he pushed deeper than he had before. There was something that messed with his head, the idea that no one else had touched those particular parts of her except him made him feel like each stroke was a new discovery and exploration.
“You feel so good, Cira. I can’t believe how good you feel.”
Cira didn’t answer; she couldn’t. That fact was written all over her face as she closed her eyes to another orgasm. Her pleasure was intensifying his own until Broch couldn’t take it anymore. He tried his best to hold off as long as he could, but all of his essence started to spill out of him the fourth time her inner walls milked his manhood.
His groaning was just as loud as hers. It was satisfying in a way that he hadn’t expected. It was so much more than he had ever expected. Broch knew that this was how it was supposed to be. Fate or not, whatever it was, this was the woman he was supposed to be with.
He pulled out and sat back down so that she could stand once again. Her legs were shaking, and she clung to him just a little bit longer before she stepped out of the shower. Broch could see that she wasn’t expecting that. He wasn’t either. Broch still wasn’t sure what came over him, but he wanted to assure himself that she had enjoyed it as much as he was so sure that she had. As much as he did. Hell, half as much as he did, would have been sufficient.
“I’m sorry.”
“Please stop apologizing, Broch. You’re just ruining it; you know that, right?”
He didn’t know that, and while he watched her take the wet, ripped panties off and the bra that he could see through, he sucked in breath through his teeth, making a hissing sound.
“Damn, Cira, I didn’t realize how beautiful you were. Just perfect.”
She gave him a funny look and then mumbled something about lying down. Cira was gone in an instant, and he was curious if he would see her in bed later. Would she be there?
If she was, Broch wasn’t one hundred percent sure that he would be able to stop himself. He certainly didn’t want to.
Chapter Sixteen
Cira did not know what to do. As she walked out of the bathroom, she felt every step that she took. Cira was sore, and she went into the bedroom that they were letting her use. Now she was supposed to share it with Broch, but she did not see how she was supposed to be anywhere around him and feel normal. Broch had changed everything in a matter of moments.
Connie came to check on her a little bit after she got out of the shower. Broch still wasn't with her, and Cira was thankful for that. She was not ready to face Broch.
“Are you alright, Cira?”
That made Cira nervous and she asked why Connie was asking that.
“I didn't mean anything by it, Cira; you just look different and like something happened. Did he tell you something that was hard to hear?”
Cira agreed, but she did not look Connie in the face. She had never been a very good liar.
“Are you sure that's it?”
Cira waved Connie off and told her that she was fine.
“Really? It sounded like you were going at it in the shower. Like it was the first time.”
Cira's face immediately started to get red. The last thing she wanted was for Connie to have heard what was going on. Were they that loud?
“It's fine, Cira. Really. You were scared for him and now he's back. That would be something that all of us would do. I don't want you to feel weird about it at all.”
Cira told herself that she wasn't going to feel weird about it, but it was impossible not to. She wanted to tell somebody what happened, share the details, but at the same time, she wanted to keep it all to herself. Cira felt possessive of the memory and the idea of sharing it was uncomfortable.
“Why don't we talk about something different?”
Cira agreed to that. The last thing she wanted to talk about was Broch, but her witch friends had made her make promises. They were going to bind their powers together and see if they could become stronger. Now that they had Broch back in their care, Marl would be coming to get Broch and the fancy little bottle that had been protected for hundreds of years.
Connie started in on a big meeting that they were supposed to have the next day. A lot of other shifters and witches were coming in. Everyone was coming to the mountains, and they were finally going to find a way to take down Marl Stein and end her for good.
“Are you sure that we're going to be able to take her down? She is so powerful. When I went to get Broch in the house, I could feel her power in the air. She is stronger than the last time I saw her.”
Connie shook her head almost sadly. “Yeah, that means that she has found more people to take their life force from. She has been doing this for hundreds of years, but now it doesn't last as long. So, she has to kill ten times as many people to stay young for half the time. Her body count is massive. Every minute that she is out, another body is going to show up. We have to get rid of her for good.”
For a moment, Cira felt bad because she wasn't even thinking about all the other people that would be affected. Her mind had gone completely to what it would do to her. What it would do to Broch and the rest of the Clendon clan. She was not worried about all of the humans being sacrificed on a daily basis. Maybe she should have worried about that a little bit more.
“I didn't even think about that.”
“It's alright, Cira. It's a lot to take on, and the only reason I mentioned it is because it helps me to get up the courage to do what I need to do. I don't want to go up against Marl Stein again, but I am willing to because I know that if we don't, more and more people are going to get hurt.”
Cira had to agree that it was a lot. It wasn't like she hadn't heard about this for the last two weeks that she had been with the other witches, but there was just something in the way that Connie explained it all to her that made her more nervous than before. Maybe it was the validity of her words.
It sent a shiver through her and told her that this was far bigger than she had realized. She was in way over her head, and the only reason that Cira wasn’t drowning was because of the help of the other witches.
Before either one of them could say anything else, Broch came into the room and it immediately got quiet. Cira could barely meet his gaze, and Connie could feel some weirdness in the air. She gave Cira's hand to squeeze before she left. “Why don't you get some rest and I will see you in a little while?”
Cira agreed, but she didn't even look at Connie. She was too busy avoiding Broch.
Once Connie was gone, Broch moved towards Cira. She took a step or two back before she hit one of the walls and knew that she was not going to be able to go any further. Whether she wanted to or not, she was going to have to confront the situation.
“What are you doing?”
“I am just trying to give you a kiss. After what happened in there, I feel like you need some attention. Some soft attention. I...”
&nb
sp; Cira could see that he was trying to figure it out as much as she was. What they had just done was more than Cira had expected. It wasn't like she didn't want to, far from it. That moment was something that she had fantasized about for several years. But not that way. Not so quick in a shower. She had always envisioned it slower and more tantalizing.
“No, I think I'm okay.”
She moved towards the bed and sat down on the edge. He started to move towards her, and she shook her head.
“I don't want you getting any ideas.”
“Honey, after what we just did in the bathroom, I am nothing but ideas.”
“I am nothing but sore from head to toe, so you're going to have to keep your ideas to yourself.”
He chuckled. He made light of it and made her feel better about the decision, but there was a little wistfulness in his eyes.
Cira watched him take off his shirt; the hard body that she had been pressed up against moments before was back in front of her. She pulled the covers over her like it would keep her safe.
Chapter Seventeen
She was running away like he was going to reach out and attack her where he stood. Broch didn’t think she was afraid of him, not in the traditional way. There was something else bubbling under the surface. But whatever it was, his next action was clear. Broch knew that he was going to have to wait on the rest of it. He certainly wasn't done with her, but for now, he was going to have to bide his time.
When he got towards the bed, Broch saw her scoot closer to the opposite edge. Maybe there was a little bit more fear than he suspected. He had stopped taking off his clothes at his boxers, even though he hated to sleep in clothes. Broch had a feeling she wasn't ready for that yet.
“I thought you would be more damaged from staying with her and being under her control for so long.”
That pulled him up short, and he looked at her for a moment.
“I guess you could say I was damaged. But you are the antidote. You have erased whatever it was that woman did to me and made me whole again. You were able to push it from my mind, something that I can't even do myself.”
