by ERIN BEDFORD
“You want my parents to cook for you?” Aidan caught on way sooner than I expected from the little amount of information I’d given him.
My eyes darted to the deep rivets in his forehead from how hard he was frowning. Shaking my head, I backed up slowly. “Never mind. My grandmother can just hire a human caterer or something. I’m sorry to bring it up.” I tried to run away and forget this whole embarrassing thing, but Aidan was nimbler than his big form let on.
“Hold on,” Aidan urged me back into the room, pulling me to his arms. “Tell me.”
I stared hard at his t-shirt, trying to remember what character had blue skin and chased coins and not how I was going to get out of this one.
“Max.” Aidan pulled me closer, his large hands wrapping around my waist. “Please talk to me.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want you to think I came over here to use you, especially since I know how much it bugs you.”
I gestured toward the awards. Aidan hadn’t said it in so many words, but I could tell by the way he glared at them. The tight downward draw of his mouth and the bitterness to his tone. There was some history there with his parents and cooking, something he would tell me when he was ready.
“Not for you, it doesn’t.” Aidan’s finger moved in a circular movement on my waist, sending a tingle through me.
Placing my hands on his chest, I tipped my head back to meet his gaze. “To make a long story short, we have no caterer for my coming out party.”
Aidan’s brows furrowed. “No one will cater for the Mancasters?” The disbelief in his voice made me laugh.
“Yeah, funny, right? I guess word got around about how horribly disappointing I am as a witch.” I dipped my head down, playing with the fabric of his shirt.
A low rumble vibrated through his chest. I jerked my eyes to his smiling face, almost blinded by the beauty of it. Damn, that boy could grin.
“Very well.” Aidan’s hand left my waist and stroked the side of my face, bringing his forehead down to mine. “If they will not have you, then I will just have to take you all for myself.”
His words made my breath catch and my thighs squeeze together. “So, you’ll help?”
“Consider it my gift to you.”
I beamed up at him, jumping up to kiss him, but before I could let it deepen, I pulled back. “Wait, don’t you need to ask your parents?”
Aidan rolled his eyes. “They would not give up a chance to show off for the Mancasters. If their schedule is full, they will clear it.”
I inclined my head, still not believing how easy it had been. “Alright. Thank you again.”
Aidan chuckled, taking my hand in his and leading me out of the living room. “You’re most welcome, but do not think I’m doing this purely for you.”
“You’re not?” I cocked my head then realized he wasn’t leading me to the front door but up the stairs. My eyes widened. He wanted me to have sex with him in exchange for his help? “Aidan.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not having sex with you.” Okay, so I knew how that sounded, but it wasn’t like I was never having sex with him. Just not right now. You can’t just fling that kind of stuff on a girl. I had to be warmed up to it.
“I know.”
My foot fumbled on the stairs for a moment, and my eyes darted down to the ground, getting further and further away. Aidan’s arm wrapped around me, helping me stay on my feet.
Glowering at him, I quipped, “What do you mean you know?” My nose wrinkled with annoyance. “Have you been having visions of me again? Do you know our whole future already?”
Aidan chuckled. “No.”
He tried to help me to the top of the stairs, but I pulled on my arm, getting it out of his beefy ones. “I’m serious. It’s not fair if you know everything that’s going to happen between us before it happens. It’s cheating.” I waved a finger at him and then poked him in the chest. “That’s against the rules.”
“To explain for what will not be the last time, my powers do not work that way.” He held a hand out to me again. “Now come, or you’ll miss it.”
“Miss what?”
“Just get up here.”
I chased after him until we stood at the top of the stairs where a platform and railing stretched across the top of the room, allowing us to see everything below. My mouth dropped open at the sight of the goblins hurrying around the room. While I was busy gaping at them, Aidan moved in behind me, caging me against the railing with his large body.
The cedar scent of him enveloped me, and I licked my lips. I tried and failed not to be distracted by the way his hard chest felt against my back or how he brushed my hair off my neck to whisper into my ear, making my eyes close on their own.
“Watch, Max,” Aidan murmured into my ear, and I forced my eyes open.
“What am I looking for?” I gasped out as his lips tugged on my ear before sucking it into his mouth.
Releasing my ear from his mouth, one of Aidan’s hands moved from the banister and moved down the side of my dress. My hand clutched his, stopping him.
“Just watch,” he urged me, and my hand drifted away from his and gripped the railing. My heart beat a million miles a minute as he drew the skirt of my dress up enough to slip his hand between my thighs.
I opened my mouth to protest about being in public, but it was then that what Aidan had been trying to make me see began to unfold. A goblin holding a large tower of glasses inched his way through the foyer. I caught sight of the mop on the other side just as Aidan’s fingers dipped beneath my panties and slid across me. I gasped and held the railing tighter.
“He’s going to fall and break all those glasses,” I guessed and then let out a low moan, my eyes squeezing shut.
Aidan pumped his fingers inside of me, rocking us slightly. I could feel myself getting close to my climax, but Aidan stopped just before I could reach it. “Open your eyes, Max.”
I struggled to do as he asked, my eyes opening wide as his digits moved in an even more fevered pace.
The goblin’s foot found the slick spot I knew he would eventually find. His feet went up and over his head, the glasses going into the air. However, instead of crashing to the ground a glowing creature zipped into the foyer. Glowing bits moved around the room, the glasses no longer fought against gravity but floated in the air. The way the light bounced off the fairy dust and glass caused the foyer to have its very own light display. Rainbows bounced off every inch of the room and the goblins beneath it scurrying to get a big enough sheet to catch them when they fell.
A startled laugh that caused me to clench around Aiden’s hand escaped me, making his movements all the sweeter. A hard bulge pressed against my back, and I knew he was holding himself back to give me this delicious mixture of pleasure and joy. His thumb flicked over my most sensitive part just as the whole glass set came crashing down, sending me with them.
Breathing heavily and leaning against the railing, I glanced over my shoulder at him. “Okay, you’re allowed to see some of our future.”
Aidan just laughed.
Chapter 11
Standing on a dais in the middle of a three-way mirror set up, I scowled at the fluffy monstrosity my grandmother had picked out. Not only was it pink, it was Pepto Bismol pink. Now, I wasn’t one to hate on the color. I adored a baby pink or even a hot pink, but the pink of this dress made me want to vomit.
And if the color wasn’t bad enough, it had enough ruffles on it that I wouldn’t be surprised if a tiny dog came popping out of the skirt at any moment to complete the complete cliché of it all.
“What do you think?” I turned in a circle in the only shop my grandmother allowed me to shop in for my coming out party dress. Madame Lace was the only magical dress shop that carried the right kind of gowns, or so my grandmother said. It was named after its owner, a woman in her forties with better style than the piece of crap my grandmother thought was ‘just precious.’
My eyes immediately went to Callie who I k
new would share my disgust. She stuck her tongue out and gave me a firm thumbs down. “That thing should be burned.”
“Oh, come on.” My mom smirked next to her. “It’s not that bad. You should have seen what your grandmother wanted me to wear to mine.” She physically shuddered in remembrance.
Thankfully, my grandmother hadn’t been able to be with us, or she and my mother would have had some kind of argument. No doubt they would have gotten us kicked out of the store before their tempers blew the top off.
“Dale? Aidan?” I twisted my body around to face the chairs they had taken by the wall.
Dale had a large grin on his lips as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. “I think it looks great.” I could hear the laughter in his voice, and I flipped him off.
“Aidan?” I sighed in desperation. “Please tell me that I am in no way being over dramatic and have every right to burn this thing before some other poor girl gets talked into it.”
Aidan grunted, only barely looking up from his phone to look at me. It had been like that all day. Why he even bothered to come with me if he wasn’t going to pay attention frustrated me to no end.
Pulling the skirt up so I could jump off the dais, I marched over to him and jerked his phone out of his hand. With it no longer in his direct vision, Aidan’s eyes finally skimmed over my form, the edges of his eyes widening before they settled on my face.
“There you are,” I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. Well, I tried to. The large bow on the front hindered that act.
“What are you wearing?” He arched a brow, his hand reaching out to tug at the rows of bows and ruffles.
“Well, if you’d been paying attention,” I accused, “you’d know this is my grandmother’s choice. Keep it or burn it?”
“Burn it.” His low, gravelly voice answered with a nod. “Definitely burn it.”
“Good.” I inclined my head and then started to give his phone back but then stopped, pulling it back to me. “What is so important that you’ve been ignoring my distress?”
Aidan frowned and then shifted in his seat. “Nothing. My apologies. Go on.” He didn’t even ask for his phone back but didn’t meet my eyes.
“Fine,” I quipped, taking his phone and tucking it in between my breasts. “Maybe now you’ll pay attention to me and not your phone.”
I began to stomp away, but Dale snickered. Whipping back around, the action taking more effort than usual because of the extra fabric, I narrowed my eyes on the redhead. “Did you have something to add?”
Dale balked. “Uh, no. Sorry.”
“Then what’s so funny?” I put my hands on my hips and gave him my best no-nonsense glower.
A small laugh followed by a movement to my left caused me to falter in my stance. Paul had appeared in the shop at some point and stood next to Callie with a bewildered expression on his face. “Wow, Max. I... uh... that’s really some dress.”
“Oh, you like?” I grinned, turning around in a little circle so he could see the whole get up. “I’m thinking of having you all wear matching suits.”
The look of pure horror on Paul’s face was worth the interruption. Before I could tell him that it was all a joke, the room erupted in laughter. Paul’s shoulders sagged, and he took a seat next to Aidan.
“Don’t scare me like that,” he begged, pulling his phone out to frown at it as well.
“That’s it,” I snapped. “All phones on the table. This is supposed to be about me wearing pretty dresses and sexy lingerie.” The last bit had my mom grimacing and the guys shifting eagerly in their seats. “But instead, you’re all acting like some high schooler waiting for the person you like to text you back.” I threw my hands in the air and then pointed at myself with a fierce scowl. “I’m here. So, who are you waiting for?”
Dale started to say something but then cried out, “Ouch. Damn it.” He rubbed the back of his head, glaring at Paul and Aidan though neither one of them had moved.
Narrowing my eyes at them, I slowly wiggled my finger at them. “I’m going to get out of this dress and into the next one. By the time I come back, someone better start talking.” I spun around and marched to the dressing room. “Callie, your assistance please.”
Callie giggled and stood, hurrying after me while giving the guys a smug grin before I shut the door. “So, what do you think it is?”
“What?” I asked, pulling Aidan’s phone out from between my boobs and tossing it on the single chair in the dressing room.
“What do you think they’re hiding,” Callie said over my shoulder as she worked on the laces that went up the back of the dress. Yep. You guessed it. As if I wasn’t suffering enough, they had to add corset lacing up the back. Guess that was the only way they could get someone into this thing and keep it on. Though, at the moment I was pretty tempted to burn it with me inside of it. Would be totally worth it to make sure this thing never saw the light of day.
I shrugged, keeping my martyr thoughts to myself. “Who knows? They obviously don’t want me to know, but I’ll get it out of them.”
“Oooh,” Callie cooed. “Maybe they’re buying you a present and want it to be a surprise?”
The back of the dress sagged, and I took in several glorious breaths of air before shoving the dress down my arms. “I doubt it. Why would they be looking at their phones like that?”
Callie lifted a shoulder. “Maybe they’re having a problem with whatever they’re getting you.”
I rolled my eyes and picked up another one of the dresses. Callie promptly tossed the pink one out of the dressing room carelessly. This dress was more my style. While the bottom still had ball gown written all over it, at least it was more adult and less ‘I’m a pretty pretty princess.’
“Wow, I love this one.” Callie’s eyes brightened at the white material fluttering around me. The bodice cupped my breasts, giving me a substantial amount of cleavage without showing off all the goods. It tapered at the waist before flowing into the skirt, the bodice and abdomen covered in tiny little jewels that I hoped were fake.
“Max?” my mom called from the other side of the curtain. “Your grandmother is on the phone, I’m going to step out for a moment. Don’t make any decisions without me, okay?”
“You got it.” I fluffed the skirt happily and turned to Callie. “Ready to see some jaws drop?”
Callie clapped her hands giddily. “They’re gonna want to tear this thing from your body, you know, in a good way.” She winked. I started for the door, but she put a hand up. “Hold on. Let me make sure all phones are gone.”
“Good idea.” I nodded. “Make sure they get the whole experience.” I waited while Callie exited. There were some muffled voices and then a familiar shout that I knew was Callie’s ‘don’t fuck with me’ voice.
“Ready!” Callie called, and I pushed the curtain back and took small steps toward the dais. However, while Callie might have gotten their phones away from them, Dale was the only one paying attention to me. Aidan and Paul had their heads close together, whispering about something or another.
I cleared my throat, irritated.
The moment the guy’s eyes landed on me, my skin lit up like the fourth of July. An array of emotion passed over their faces. Wonder. Awe. Arousal. Everything I ever hoped my dress would make them feel.
“This is definitely the one.” I beamed, clasping my hands in front of me. I ignored the phones sitting on the floor where Callie sat and stood on the dais. I moved this way and that as I admired the dress in the three-way mirror. Pausing in my admiration, I turned to the guys. “Well?”
Dale was the first to recover. He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his face needlessly. “It’s gorgeous. I mean, you’re gorgeous.”
“Thank you, Dale.” I ducked my head slightly at his praise.
“You look great, Max,” Paul announced, his hands rubbing up and down the length of his jean-clad legs. While his eyes were on me, I could still tell he was distracted.
Aidan didn
’t even grace me with a worded answer only nodded, his eyes darting to the phones.
Enough was enough.
“For the love of all that is fucking frilly,” I growled and marched over to the phones. I grabbed them and tossed them at their feet. “If it’s that important, just get out of here. You’re ruining this whole thing by being here.” I spun around not waiting for their response, my eyes burning. Freaking angry tears. Why did I have to be an angry crier?
“Max, hold on.” Paul’s hand landed on my shoulder, stopping me. “Please wait.”
“What do you want?” I felt a small amount of pride that my voice didn’t shake.
“It’s not what you think.” He stepped around me, not letting me hide my face from him. Brushing a thumb across my cheek to catch a stray tear, he lowered his head to mine. “We’re not distracted because we want to be.”
“Then what is it?” I pushed his hands away. “You’re acting like it’s some big secret and it’s pissing me off.”
I felt Aidan before I actually saw him. “It’s Ian.”
“What’s Ian?” I twisted around to face him. I’d asked all the guys to come see me try on dresses for the coming out party, and all but Ian had agreed to come. I actually never even got a response from him. Paul had messaged me back saying Ian had school stuff. Not too out of the ordinary. Plenty of the students did extra school stuff over the summer.
Paul scratched the back of his head. “Well, remember how he had that final he was working on before?”
I frowned. “Yeah, but school’s over. He should have been done now, right?”
Aidan shook his head. “It’s not so much a final as...” He tucked his hands in his pockets, looking for the right word.
“An initiation,” Dale finished for him, closing our little circle out.
My brows shot to my forehead. “Initiation? Like into some kind of club?”
Shaking his head, Aidan answered, “More like a fraternity.”
Dale snorted. “Call it what it is. A secret organization that only those studying the dark arts are allowed to join.”
