Page 54 of Charmed, I’m Sure (Witches of Bellevue #1)

Will it keep?

Magnolia

I must have sat in the driveway for at least ten minutes, staring at the front door with the house key Taylor had given me dangling from my pointer finger.

I knew it worked—I’d used it when CharCutie had been destroyed.

But something about using it now felt bigger.

Weightier. Choosing to come here instead of going to the manor was huge for me.

I’d spent more time in that house than I had out of it.

And though this was what I wanted, making myself get out of the car was proving harder than I expected.

Drawing in as much air as my lungs could hold, I took the first step toward a future I could finally see.

One brighter than any star in the night sky.

With each step, the tightness in my chest eased, my breaths coming smoother—until they caught in my throat, freezing me in place at the entrance of the living room.

I hadn’t noticed it the night before, what with the migraine and the turmoil in my heart. And this morning had been a blur of forcing myself to wake up early so I could ride with Taylor to the hospital. But I saw it now.

It was as if a veil had lifted, and I was finally seeing through clear lenses instead of frosted glass.

There, in the corner of the living room by the windows, sat the chair. The one I’d fallen in love with while furniture shopping. A rich peacock-blue blanket draped over the back, and beside it, a gold floor lamp.

I wasn’t sure how I still had tears to shed, but they filled my eyes all the same as I moved deeper into the house on unsteady legs.

Pictures decorated the bookshelves in a hodgepodge of frames that, somehow, worked. There were candid shots of Taylor with his parents and sister, ones that made me smile. But the one that twisted my stomach into knots?

The framed photo of us at Addy’s engagement party.

“Fucking hell. How do I turn off the waterworks?” I muttered, swiping at the tears that refused to stop falling.

Deciding my heart would burst if I looked at the photos any longer, I headed to the kitchen.

It wasn’t much better.

Cabinet after cabinet, I found more and more things that I would have in a kitchen. An entire shelf filled with my favorite snacks. Baking supplies neatly stacked beside ingredients I often used. My favorite blend of coffee sat next to the pot, my creamer tucked in the fridge.

I couldn’t stop the tears if I tried. So I didn’t. I let them fall freely, let them drip onto my shirt as I turned toward the front door—love and determination guiding every step.

Taylor deserved more.

So, Mother dammit, he was going to get it.

Taylor

“Thanks, Chelsea,” I said, opening the passenger door of her car.

“No problem, doc. See you after the holidays.”

Closing the door, I turned toward the house. I wasn’t entirely sure what I expected to find when I got home, especially after Magnolia had asked me to get a ride. But it certainly wasn’t darkened windows.

My brows furrowed as I approached the front door, scanning the property for anything amiss—nothing. But as soon as I stepped inside, a warm, savory scent wrapped around me, making my stomach tighten with hunger.

“Mags?” I called out, hanging my coat on the entryway tree and dropping my backpack beside it. No answer. But soft music trickled from the kitchen, guiding me forward. “Baby, are you in—”

My words stalled the moment I pushed the pocket doors open.

The lights were off, the only illumination coming from flickering candles scattered along the countertops and table, and the twinkle lights lining the banquette windows.

It was like something out of a romance movie.

“Hi.”

Her voice was soft, a nervous smile tugging at her lips as she shifted from one bare foot to the other.

The glow of the candles danced across her face, and my heart gave a hard, fluttering kick to my ribs.

She was stunning.

More than that—she looked comfortable. At home. Dressed in simple leggings and a cropped sweater, her hair loose in waves down her back, not a stitch of makeup on her gorgeous face.

I closed the distance between us, pulling her into my arms without hesitation. Spice, floral, and that underlying sweetness that was just Magnolia enveloped me as I buried my face in her neck.

“What is all this?” I murmured after pressing a kiss to her skin.

She shrugged, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as her gaze flicked between mine.

“What is it?” I asked, my stomach tightening with something more than hunger. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just… I wanted to do something special for you.”

“I appreciate it, and it smells and looks wonderful. But why?”

Tears rimmed her eyes, making the blue take on an almost gray hue. She gave me a watery smile.

“Because I love you.”

Time stopped. The world ceased spinning on its axis as her words sank in.

She’d said it. She’d fucking said it.

Out loud. To my face.

My heart pounded so violently it threatened to break free from my chest. But I had to ask. Had to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating after a long, grueling shift.

“What… What did you just say?”

With a little more vibrato than she had moments ago, she straightened her spine and said it again.

I barely heard it over the rushing in my ears, my mind reeling, my hands shaking.

“What’s for dinner?” I demanded in a rush.

Her brows furrowed, head tilting. “Pot roast?”

“Will it keep?”

“I mean, yeah. It’s in the crockpot on the warm setting—”

Her words cut off with a sharp yelp as I scooped her up by the thighs and carried her out of the kitchen.

“Taylor! What are you doing?” she screeched, her arms looping around my neck.

“I’m going to make love to you.”

“Mother above, that’s such a cringey phrase.”

“Cringe or not, I’m going to show you just how much I love you.”

I stopped walking at her sharp intake of breath, holding her gaze.

“Because I do. I love you, Magnolia Bellevue. I have for a while. I was just waiting for you to catch up.”

Her lips crashed against mine, fingers threading into my hair as I carried her to our bedroom.

Because if I had anything to say about it, she’d be moving in sooner rather than later.

Her feet had barely touched the floor before fumbling hands were reaching for buttons and hemlines.

Our lips barely parted as each inch of skin was revealed, and by the time Magnolia kicked her leggings from her feet, she was back in my arms, legs wrapped around my waist as I carried her to the bed.

Time stilled, marked only by the rhythmic beating of our hearts as I laid her out across my covers.

Moonlight streamed through the windows, bathing her in silvery light, accentuating the soft rise and fall of her chest. Her cheeks were flushed, her pastel hair a halo around her head.

And fuck me—she was in goddamn lingerie.

A groan rumbled in my throat, my hands clenching at my sides, itching to trace every inch of her as I took in the sight before me.

Teal lace covered her breasts, leaving very little to the imagination, the bronze of her nipples visible through the delicate fabric.

But it was the coordinating panties—the ones with the slit down the center—that held my attention far longer than they should have.

She looked like a goddamn goddess, and I was the lucky bastard who got to worship her.

“Fuck, baby.”

“See something you like?” she purred, her voice sliding down my spine, pooling low in my gut.

“I see a whole lot that I love, cher. But this?” Her legs widened, giving me the opening I needed to step between them.

Another groan slipped free as I ran two fingers through the slit in her panties.

She was already wet for me, her breath hitching as I added just enough pressure to tease her entrance. “This is an unexpected bonus.”

Her head tilted back against the bed, her back arching with every slow, deliberate stroke of my fingers.

Her moans, her sighs—they were the sweetest melody.

She dug her nails into my arm, guiding me, silently pleading for more.

Any other night, I might have let her take control.

But tonight, I wanted to take my time. Wanted her to see what it looked like to be cherished—to be loved despite all the cruelty meant to drive a wedge between us.

She whined my name, dragging out each syllable as I worked her closer to the edge.

“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her sternum as I curled my fingers inside her. “How stunning you are when you fall apart for me?”

“Taylor, please. I need you.”

“Say it.” I slowed the plunge of my fingers but added pressure to her clit, watching her body tense in response. “Say it again for me, cher, and I’ll let you come.”

Bright blues locked onto mine, her palm cradling my cheek.

“I love you.”

The words had barely left her lips before she shattered beneath me, her back bowing as her mouth fell open on a perfect, silent cry. I pressed my lips firmly against hers, working her through the waves of pleasure, refusing to let go until the last tremor faded from her body.

A contented hum vibrated in her chest as I pulled away, brushing sweat-dampened hair from her brow.

“I love you, too,” I whispered.

Her hand drifted lazily down my torso, each featherlight touch making my muscles jump. But when she wrapped her fingers around my length, my head dropped forward, a low moan escaping my lips.

“Show me,” she breathed, her grip firm, steady, stroking from root to tip. Every pass of her palm had me seeing stars, slicking her hand with precum as she worked me.

“Baby, if you keep that up, I’m going to come like a teenager who just figured out what his dick could do.”

She chuckled but didn’t stop. My jaw clenched, and I bit my cheek, desperate for control.

Pulling her hand away, I pressed a kiss to her palm before reaching for a condom from the nightstand. Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth as she watched me roll it on, her eyes dark and hungry. I stroked myself twice before lining up with her entrance and pushing inside.

Home.

Her legs wrapped around my hips, fingers threading into my hair as I pressed my lips to hers. I rocked into her slow and deep, savoring every gasp, every moan, every shudder of pleasure. We moved together in a rhythm only we knew, our bodies in perfect sync, drawing each other higher.

I loved her like this—uninhibited, unburdened by the world outside. Just us. Just this.

She was always beautiful—sharp-witted, stubborn, unapologetically her—but watching her unravel beneath me was like witnessing a masterpiece in motion.

Every hitch in her breath painted colors across an unseen canvas. Bright contrasts with every flex of her muscles. Deep shadows with every arch of her body. And when she shattered, when she reached the peak, the final highlights were added—completing the picture, bringing it to life.

Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her against me as I sat back, her thighs tightening around my hips as she settled into my lap.

“Yesss, Taylor,” she moaned, her head falling back as she rocked against me, slow and deliberate. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

“Eyes on me, Mags.”

Time seemed to slow to a crawl when she met my gaze.

There was something to be said about fucking, about getting lost in raw need, letting go of everything else. But there was just as much to be said about this—slowing down, pouring every ounce of love into someone, letting them feel it.

And there was so much love in her eyes, it stole the breath from my lungs.

Her forehead rested against mine as I held her to me, quickening my pace, matching every roll of her hips with an upward thrust. Her breaths turned to broken little gasps, her fingers digging into my shoulders as we climbed this peak together.

“Come for me, baby,” I pleaded when I felt her walls begin to flutter around me.

With a few more rocks of her hips, she shattered in my arms, my name a cry from her lips. Her body trembled against mine, and with a groan into her neck, I followed.

I’d follow that woman anywhere.

To the edge of pleasure. Out of this town. To the other side of the world.

It didn’t matter.

Anywhere she went, I’d be right beside her.