Page 24

CHAPTER 24

J onah wasn’t surprised to see Elora quickly packing her stuff in the front room when he returned to the house. Disappointed but not surprised.

Without looking at him, Elora said, “I wasn’t eavesdropping on purpose. I came home from coffee, and I went out to the greenhouse, and then I saw that guy, and I heard…”

Her face pale, she tossed her extra cloak into a plastic tub and piled some candles on top. “Anyway, I, um, I’m going to stay at my place tonight. I haven’t been at the apartment in forever, and I’m pretty sure my neighbours think I’ve been abducted or something.”

“Little witch, look at me,” Jonah said softly.

She sighed and turned to face him, white knuckling the plastic bin. “I can’t do this anymore, Jonah. I’m sorry. I can’t… I can’t be anything but friends with you, okay? I can’t be with someone knowing they’re killing people, and I know that makes me a hypocrite because of my sister, but I think because I don’t see her that often, I can compartmentalize it, pretend it isn’t real, but with you… I can’t. Because you’re right here with me, and we’re sharing a bed, and knowing you’re taking jobs to kill people, it’s… it’s too much for me, Jonah.”

“I didn’t take the job,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “You didn’t?”

“No,” he said.

The relief in her gaze faded. “You didn’t take the job because you can’t shapeshift, right? But as soon as you can, you’ll -”

“No,” he said. “I don’t need to shapeshift to do a job. It’s only one of my skills.”

She swallowed, the dry click of her throat loud in the silence. “Then why aren’t you doing the job?”

“I’m out, Elora. I’m finished with it for good. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I want to believe I’m good for something other than killing.”

“You are,” she said fiercely, storming over to him and cupping his face. “Jonah, you are so much more than what the Academy turned you into. I promise.”

“You mean that, don’t you?” he said, nearly drowning in a sudden and overwhelming wave of love for her.

“I do,” she said. “You are brilliant and deserve to spend the rest of your life doing something that makes you happy.”

“You make me happy,” he said.

“Then maybe you should do me,” she said tartly and then burst into laughter. “Oh, Jesus, that line was horribly cheesy.”

“It really was.” He scooped her up and carried her up the stairs toward his bedroom. “But I’m still going to do you. Such is your power over me, little witch.”

He set her down next to the bed, and they helped each other undress, Jonah peppering soft kisses on Elora’s smooth skin. When they were both naked, he said, “Lie on the bed so I can eat your pussy.”

“I have a better idea,” Elora said as she reached down and took him in her hand. “Lie on the bed, and I’ll sit on your face.”

“Fuck, yes,” he said, his cock hardening instantly.

Elora laughed and gave him a few rough strokes, making his breath hiss out and his hips jut forward.

He stretched out on the bed, watching with delight as Elora knelt over his face with her back and ass pointing toward him. He squeezed her ass cheeks, kneading her firm skin and staring at her wet pussy.

She peered over her shoulder at him. “Ready, handsome?”

He grinned at her. “I’m going to make you scream louder than you did this morning, little witch.”

“Oh, I think my mouth will be too full for that,” she said with a wicked grin.

“What do you - oh holy hell!” His body jerked upward when Elora leaned over and took his cock into her mouth. She sucked hard, swirling her tongue over the tip and twisting her hand briskly against the base of his cock.

He moaned, his hands digging into her smooth thighs as she set a brisk pace of sucking. After nearly a minute, she released him and looked over her shoulder again. “Jonah, the whole point of sixty-nine-ing is we’re both doing fun things with our tongue and lips.”

“Fuck, sorry,” he groaned. “I got distracted.”

She giggled and gave the head of his cock a kiss. “I get it, but also… get that talented tongue of yours in my pussy.”

“Yes, Elora.” He cupped her thighs and pulled her down until he could give her wet pussy a nice, long lick. She moaned, her back arching and her hand tightening around his dick before he felt the hot, slick slide of her mouth over his cock again.

He thrust into her mouth as he licked his way to her clit and sucked lightly. She made a muffled moaning cry around his dick and bobbed her head faster. She ground her pussy against his mouth, shamelessly seeking her pleasure. He stiffened his tongue and pushed it into her narrow entrance, tightening his grip on her thighs when her body arched again.

He took his time, licking and kissing and sucking every part of her soft warmth as she worshipped his dick with her tongue and lips. She was starting to make those soft cries he associated with her climax, and he tongued her clit harder before sliding one finger into her wet heat.

She cried out around his dick, and he rasped, “Keep sucking, Elora. Suck my cock while you come.”

Her body quivered wildly, but she continued to suck as he pushed her relentlessly toward her orgasm. He captured her clit between his lips and sucked hard, thrusting his finger in and out of her slick heat. She screamed and dug her nails into his thighs as she came hard. Her sweet cream flooded his mouth, and he made his own shout of pleasure before coming in Elora’s mouth. She swallowed his seed as her body shook wildly above him, and more of her cream coated his lips.

She pulled her mouth off his dick with a wet pop and rolled to her side with a soft moan. He sat up and pulled her limp body into a sitting position, encouraging her to scooch around on the bed until he could pull her into his arms.

She curled up against him, her cheek on his chest and her arm and leg slung over his body. She was shivering lightly, and he pulled the sheet and quilt over them. She snuggled in again, kissing his chest as he stroked her long, dark hair.

“That was great,” she said. “At least, I think it was. I’ve never done that before. Did you think it went well?”

He laughed. “Yes. It was amazing. Thank you, Elora.”

“Thank you ,” she said with a cute grin. They were silent for a bit before she said, “Did you have a good afternoon?”

“Yes. How about you? Did you enjoy coffee with Cece?”

“Yes. She said to tell you that they got in a shipment of jade plants, and she set one aside for you.”

“Shit? Really? That’s great. She didn’t think they’d get any until spring.”

Elora sat up, reaching for the water bottle on the nightstand and drinking a few swallows. She handed it to him, and he sat up and took a long drink before leaning against the headboard. Elora took the water and had another drink, then studied him thoughtfully.

“What?” he asked.

“You really love this gardening thing, don’t you?”

“I do,” he said. “Before my father died, we used to talk about opening a greenhouse together.”

An aching sadness filled him at the memory, at the loss of what could have been if his father hadn’t died so suddenly and unexpectedly. A pang of longing for Caleb followed it. Despite what his brother thought, Jonah loved Caleb deeply and losing him was a painfully deep cut that would never heal.

“You should do it,” Elora said.

He pulled himself from his sudden funk with difficulty. “What?”

“The greenhouse,” Elora said. “You should do it.”

He frowned. “You think I should open a greenhouse?”

“Yes.” Elora gave him an excited look. “Why not? You love it, right?”

“Sure, but… I don’t know anything about running a business.”

“So, you take business courses. Maybe you get your degree in business, and then you start your own greenhouse.” Elora climbed into his lap, flinging her arms around his shoulders. “Jonah, this is your chance to do what you and your father dreamed about. You could talk to Cece. She practically runs the greenhouse when her boss is away and half the time when he’s there. I bet she could give you lots of advice.”

He stared at her, a current of excitement thrumming through him. “My dad and I had a journal for all our ideas, and we even made a rough business plan. I still have both.”

She smiled delightedly. “Perfect! You can build off of that. I’m not saying it’ll be easy or that you won’t have to work your ass off, but if this is your dream, you should do it.”

He leaned against the headboard, Elora’s soft weight in his lap as she sat quietly and gave him time to process. Just thinking about having his own greenhouse sent tendrils of excitement through him, and he could practically see his dad’s face glowing with happiness at the idea.

Could he really do this? Could he live a normal life doing what he was passionate about with a loving, supportive woman by his side? It seemed impossible, like a dream he would wake up from at any moment. Happiness didn’t happen to men like him. He didn’t deserve it.

As if she’d read his mind, Elora cupped his face and said quietly, “You deserve to have the life you want, Jonah. You’ve spent too many years being a puppet for the Academy, but it doesn’t have to be that way anymore. You can change your path, honey. You can be proud of who you are, like I’m proud of you.”

“You’re proud of me?” His voice was hoarse and filled with disbelief.

“Yes.” She pressed her lips against his. “You’re a good man who was forced into a life he didn’t want. You’ve had it drilled into you since you were a child that you belong in the darkness, that you’re only good for one thing, even though that isn’t true. Now you’re stepping into the light, even though it’s hard and scary and full of unknowns.”

She smiled at him, her eyes filled with a warmth and love that made his throat ache and his chest tight. “You are the most courageous person I know, Jonah, and I am so proud of you.”

He yanked her against his chest, burying his face into her throat so she wouldn’t see his love for her written all over it. His voice a low rasp, he said, “Thank you, Elora.”

She smoothed her soft hand over his hair before hugging him tight. “You’re welcome, Jonah.”