by Melody Raven
“It’s your coffeemaker. You made me coffee once and I couldn’t get over how good it was. Since you’re one of the three people on the planet who doesn’t drink coffee, you thought I should have it.”
“Oh.” It made sense. What had she needed that stupid thing for anyway? Abigail should’ve known before she bought it for her, but sometimes her mother didn’t put a lot of thought into her elaborate gifts.
Derek sighed, a sound she was becoming exceptionally familiar with tonight, as he pulled off his leather jacket and suit jacket at once and threw them over the kitchen table. It looked as if the table was more for junk mail than eating, so it probably wasn’t that strange to put clothes on it. Then Derek undid the cuffs of his shirt and the top few buttons. His tie had long since been jammed into some pocket.
“You can head out. I don’t need to be babysat all night. I promise I’ll try to sleep.”
Sam nodded. She couldn’t think of anything else she could do, but looking at him… he looked so tired. Not physically, but his shoulders were slumped and she could only imagine how worried he was. Sure, Heather wanted her family hurt too, but at least they could try to defend themselves. How must Derek feel to know there was absolutely nothing he could do?
“Just go, Sam. I want to be alone.”
I want to be alone. She wanted to leave. She wanted to give him peace from all the turmoil that her family had caused him. But seeing him standing there in the kitchen, shoulders slumped, eyes defeated, Sam couldn’t help herself. She crossed the room in three long strides until she could wrap her arms around his neck.
She was trying to give comfort. To give solace. Even if he wanted to be alone, he wasn’t. She would be there for this stranger she had such a connection with.
He didn’t hug her back at first. Even though he was the one trying to start things back up, he held himself stiff and distant. But Sam didn’t let go. Maybe she was waiting for him to react. Maybe it just felt good to have him in her arms. But then his hands came around her waist. For a second, they were barely touching her. Then his grip tightened and he held her close, his fingers balling into fists. His head rested in the crook of her shoulder and he took a few deep breaths in, as though savoring the feel and smell and everything else about her.
Sam moved one hand to the short hair at the back of his neck and just held him. She didn’t know the exact moment the hug changed to something else. All of a sudden, her breaths were deep and ragged. The air in the room seemed thicker and she wasn’t just hugging Derek to comfort him anymore….
He started to move his head back, but his forehead still touched hers. Then their noses brushed and it was only natural then for her lips to find his. Or maybe his found hers. Kissing him was just something she needed to be doing and she didn’t fight it.
Her fingers still cupped his neck and she stood on her tiptoes as she deepened the kiss. He was stock-still except for his mouth moving against hers, the gentle caress of his tongue against hers.
He pulled his mouth away and kissed along her jaw, her earlobe, down her neck until he gave the softest little nip at the crook of her shoulder. “Sam….” he breathed.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered. Her hands went to his shoulders to hold him close.
“Right now?”
“Right now is perfect.” Right now was all she could think about.
In a second, Derek pulled her against him, her feet going off the floor as he turned with her in his arms until she sat on the edge of the counter. His lips pressed against hers and this kiss was different. It wasn’t comforting or an equal give-and-take, but an animalistic claiming of her mouth. Her fingertips ran along his jaw as he took control of her mouth, tilting her head for better access, his lips and teeth taking utter control.
His hands pulled her tightly against him, his erection evident even through all the layers of clothes.
Clothes. They were wearing too many clothes.
Sam started to work at the buttons of his shirt. As soon as the last one was done, he shrugged out of it and let it just fall on the floor. Then he did the same to her, breaking the kiss as he pulled at the buttons, one flying off, until he could tug at the material and tossed it aside. He didn’t just pull her bra strap down, but his nails scraped against her skin—not painfully, but just enough to be erotic as he bared her shoulder to him.
She gasped in a breath as he kissed her shoulder and then moved his hands down, pushing her breasts together as he moved his mouth across her collarbone. He didn’t go right for her breasts, but took his time, tasting as much as possible before he finally moved down lower. One of his hands had snaked behind her and her bra came undone. She pulled it off as he closed his mouth over a nipple.
Sam bit her lip to keep from moaning, but her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands ran through his hair, holding him closer and giving encouragement.
Then his mouth was back over hers. The kiss seemed to go on forever. Sam was ready for him and her body seemed overcharged. He was rubbing against her and his bare chest against hers was almost too much to bear.
And then he reached down between them. He didn’t break the kiss, but somehow his talented hand undid the button of her pants without even looking, and then his fingers slid into her wet heat.
Sam had to break the kiss as she sucked in a breath, but that didn’t stop Derek. If she had any doubts that they’d been together before, they fled as he showed her exactly how well he knew her body.
“Tell me,” he said in a deep guttural voice.
Her eyes squeezed shut and her forehead rested on his shoulders as the electric shock of arousal shot through her. “What?” She was so distracted she could barely speak English at the moment.
“Tell me what you want.” His thumb brushed her clit in just the right way and she let out a little squeak she didn’t know she was capable of.
At that moment, he could’ve demanded she say anything and she would’ve happily obeyed. “I want you.”
Another finger slid inside. “Tell me more.”
She tried to catch her breath as she balanced on the edge of orgasm. “Please, Derek. I need… I need….” She didn’t finish as he finally pushed her over the edge. She held him close with both her arms and legs as she rode the waves of climax. She wasn’t exactly sure when he removed his hand, but all of a sudden, he picked her up and carried her across the room. Her eyes were still closed as they moved. “I thought I was here to comfort you,” she murmured.
“That was comforting,” he whispered into her ear before he nipped at the lobe. Her eyes opened right as he set her down in his bedroom, letting her slide down his body. He took her mouth once more, a deep, devastating kiss that revved up her body. “God, I missed you,” he said when he pulled away.
“It’s only been two days….” she said weakly, even though she knew it wouldn’t help.
“One second is too long to ever be away from you.” He ran his hands down her back, soaking in every square inch of skin he could.
Hell, if he wanted her, she was more than happy to give in. Even though she just came, she wanted a lot more than his fingers…. She reached between them to pull at his belt. In a few seconds, she pushed the material of his pants and boxers down in one motion and she could run her fingers over his strong thighs and buttocks, giving a little squeeze, because why the hell not? If she was allowed to touch this damn perfect man, she was going to touch as much as possible.
Derek’s hand wrapped in her hair and he angled her head as he kissed her once more. His cock was hard and pressing intensely against her stomach, but he didn’t seem in any hurry. He kissed her leisurely as his hand ran down her throat. She felt tiny in his arms and somehow that was arousing in its own right….
“Bed,” he said and she didn’t hesitate to move the few feet left between them and his small bed.
She found herself standing at the edge, waiting for his direction. Funny; normally she would take control of these things, but she seemed to naturally wait for
Derek to take the lead. Was that what she’d done before the memory wipe?
Then Derek sat back on the mattress and she straddled him and she wasn’t thinking anymore. Because the head of his cock was pressed right at her entrance and she was so ready, her body offered no resistance before he slid inside. They both gasped in unison at the sensation. At first she didn’t move much, just a subtle rocking back and forth, but soon the momentum built and she rose up and lowered back down. Derek groaned and thrust back his head. His hands bit into her hips and then he was showing her the rhythm that he wanted; she followed his silent orders and her own instincts until another orgasm hit her hard.
She threw her head back and let out a scream as her entire body was taken over. Derek immediately followed her over the edge. He let out a low growl as all of his muscles tightened and he was up, throwing his arms around her and holding her tight as he climaxed.
She wasn’t sure exactly when his orgasm ended because he held her tight like that for so long. At this position, his head was just below hers. She wrapped her arms around him too and ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying everything: The jellylike feeling in all her bones. The smell of his hair. The warmth of his body. The push and pull of both of their chests as they tried to catch their breath.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said.
“Sorry for what?” He turned to press a gentle kiss to the crook of her neck.
“I never should’ve forgotten that.”
“You’re slow,” said Sam when Claire finally emerged from Jackson’s door.
“You’re ridiculously early.” Claire rubbed at her eyes.
Sam handed Claire a paper cup full of caramel latté. “I gave you plenty of notice.”
Claire sniffed at the drink. “You gave me forty minutes. What’s so important?”
“I wanted to give you five minutes, but apparently you aren’t living at my old place anymore,” she said with a pointed annoyed glance. “And everything—everything—is important right now.” Sam led the way to where her BMW was parked at a nearby meter. “But let’s start with this. Why are you living with Jackson?”
Claire groaned and took a drink of the coffee. “Why does caffeine hit us but not alcohol?”
“Because the cosmos is playing one big practical joke on us. Now, don’t ignore my question.”
“It’s not really living with Jackson,” she clarified. “I’m staying at his place, but he’s barely been around.” Claire muttered something under her breath that Sam didn’t quite catch. Apparently she wasn’t too fond of her host. “And I’m here because Derek recommended it.”
“Derek?”
“Yeah. He was afraid Claudia was going to track me down and do her mind thing on me.”
“If she wanted to find you, she’d find you.”
“Thanks for the comforting words,” muttered Claire.
“Sorry, I just—” Hell, she wasn’t good at this whole comforting thing. She’d tried comforting Derek last night and ended up sleeping with him. Though he did seem to enjoy it…. “The good news is that you can go home. Even though I can’t remember Derek, we’re still kind of together, so whatever Claudia’s plan was, it isn’t working. So there’s no need for her to go and wipe your mind too.” They both got in the car and when Sam sat down, she saw Claire smiling over at her. “What?”
“You didn’t need me!”
“Huh?”
“You and Derek. Your love for him is so strong that you didn’t even need me to tell you that you loved him. It’s so sweet!”
Sam scoffed. What she felt for Derek was a lot of things. Powerful. Consuming. Confusing. Inconvenient. Sweet wasn’t one of them. She decided to try to change the subject. Starting the car, she kept her eyes on the road as she said, “What about you? How was work?”
“Work? Umm… complicated.”
Finally. Some drama that wasn’t about her or her family. “In a good way?”
“Well, my boss is pretty cool.”
Sam frowned. “Dante?” He was the one who had agreed to help Claire get the job there.
“Yeah. He took me out last night with some friends of his.”
“Wait. Took you out? What does that mean?”
“Well, I thought it meant as friends.”
“Did he pull something? Because I can go in there and break—”
“No. I, um, I was into it. But something happened when we were dancing and it put a damper on things.”
Sam could tell from the tone that this story wasn’t going to end well. “Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah. It was so weird. We were dancing and I was really into it and then he started to scream and passed out. Lacey and Lindsey helped me get him out and he woke up a few seconds later saying everything was fine, but, I don’t know. It creeped me out.”
“Aw, Claire. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Just… what could do something like that? Dante refused to talk about it and Jackson has been MIA, so you’re the first witch I know who I’ve seen. I mean, he was fine and then we were dancing. Is there a chance that I….”
“You?” Sam shook her head. “No. Hell no. First of all, Dante is an experienced witch. I don’t want to insult you or anything, but you need training to do any real damage. And if he thought you did anything to him, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t be sitting here talking to me right now. He was probably just on a bad trip or something.”
Claire bit at her bottom lip and didn’t seem the least bit comforted. “Bad trip? I thought drugs didn’t affect us.”
“Well, human drugs. Do you really think witches wouldn’t find some way to get high? I’m sorry it freaked you out, but I really think it was just a coincidence that you were dancing with him at that moment.”
“Maybe.”
“Have you talked to him since it happened? I’m sure he’d tell you the same thing.” Because if she found out that Dante dirty danced with Claire and then never even bothered to call or text….
“He called but I didn’t call back. I was so embarrassed, Sam. I’m not good at being a witch.”
Sam snorted. “No. Trust me, between the two of us, you’re probably the better one.”
“Still having bad luck with magic?”
Sam nodded but then thought back to what she’d done with Bob Pierce. “I, uh, I pulled something pretty cool yesterday though.” She quickly filled Claire in on all the developments with Heather and Derek’s family.
“She actually went after his parents?”
“Yep. The sweet little Staten Island couple. Well, okay, they can usually take care of themselves, but it was still a low blow. Derek was pretty torn up about it, understandably.”
“I hate this,” said Claire. “Everything is falling to shit and there’s nothing we can do.”
“Not nothing. That’s why you’re coming with me. We’re going to my mom’s library and we’re going to read old smelly spell books until our eyes don’t work anymore and see if there’s anything that can help.”
“That doesn’t sound all that helpful. Wouldn’t Claudia already know if there was a spell that could work against darkness?”
“Claire, you know I don’t like it when you’re smarter than me,” said Sam in a joking tone. “But seriously, Claudia is very smart but she’s also distracted and not focused. This has her scared. Which is terrifying because I’ve never seen her scared before. And she’s not facing some random enemy. She’s facing Heather, who knows Claudia better than almost anyone.”
“And what are the two of us supposed to do that Claudia can’t?”
“Whatever we can,” said Sam. “Heather wanted Derek to set up a meeting between her and Claudia. Derek refused, but after what happened to his father last night…. Well, Claudia is setting up the meeting now. She hasn’t decided if she wants me there.”
“Do you want to be there?”
Sam was quiet. She didn’t know the answer to that. There was a good chance she could make things a lot worse. Heather had ma
de it clear she was jealous of the relationship between Sam and Claudia. But Sam also didn’t think Heather wanted to hurt her. Didn’t mean she wouldn’t, especially when darkness was messing with her self-control, but she honestly believed her sister wanted them to be sisters again.
“If I can help, that’s what I’ll do,” said Sam honestly. “But my choice was to spend the day doing research or to sit around in my apartment all day doing nothing.”
“What about Derek?”
Sam’s hands tightened on the wheel. “He went to the hospital this morning. His dad was pretty much back to normal last night, but they kept him for observation. He should be released any minute now. After that, he has to get back to work. People to save and all.”
“You and him are good then?”
Sam couldn’t help her smile. “Yeah. Things seem pretty good.”
“Hey. The world is going to hell, but at least one of us is getting laid.”
Claire grabbed another book from the shelves and started to flip through it. She and Sam had now been at it for five hours and the latté she’d gotten had long since worn off. She was trying to do her best to help out, but what she was really looking for was a reference to the term she couldn’t get off her mind.
Soul sucker. No matter what Sam said, she knew what happened with Dante was her fault. Her second day at work had gone by slowly and Dante never showed up. She thought he was still sick, but when she got a peek at the schedule, she realized he wasn’t supposed to come in. And when he’d called her to ask whether she was doing okay, she felt too guilty to ever return his call. And the one person who she could ask, the one person who had so smugly warned her not to go out, was gone. So Dante was calling her and she was calling Jackson and not one person was returning the calls.
Claire slammed the book on the table and the sound echoed through the small, creepy room.
Sam glanced up from what she was reading to look at Claire. “Everything okay?”
