Page 27 of My Haven (Bewitched and Bewildered #16)

She looked in expecting pink and ruffles but was instead shocked to see scenes of horror on each wall. Man eating sharks, threatening volcanos, and snarling dragons. “Oh my god! Why would you terrorize her?”

He blinked. “She wasn’t terrorized. These images made her feel safe because she knew her brothers had mastered the elements these things represented. She redecorated when she was thirteen, but after she told us she was having a baby, we brought the images back for our niece.”

“Right,” she said, unconvinced.

“She loved it.”

“Sure.”

He shut the door. “I think she liked mine best.”

Genevieve stared, as she placed a hand on her chest. This. This was the exact moment she knew she fell in love with him. Not for being heroic or princely. For being an absolute clueless goober about the baby sister, he raised.

I am so decorating our kids’ rooms.

She froze. “Caiden, I think I just fell in love with you,” she admitted.

He stumbled, then spun. “Seriously?” he whispered.

She nodded slowly. “Isn’t this too quick?”

He shook his head and took her hand, pulling her quickly toward his room.

“Don’t stop thinking whatever you were thinking when you realized you loved me,” he said, walking fast. Laughing, she had to run to keep up with him.

They got to his room, he opened the door, ushered them inside, and closed the door behind them.

He set the wine, glasses, and opener down, then turned his full attention to her.

“Are you still in love with me?” he asked, his eyes filled with trepidation.

“Am I not supposed to be?”

“Did it go away?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“What were you thinking when you realized how you felt?”

“That you were an absolute idiot and when we have kids, I’m decorating their rooms,” she admitted.

He stared. “That is love?”

“Yup.”

“I’m an idiot?”

“Sometimes, but it’s cute.”

His eyes widened. “You want to have kids?”

She began to smile. “And that was when I realized I loved you. I never imagined kids with someone before. But I look at you and all I see is a house full of silver eyed witches doing impossible things, running in and out of our kitchen.”

He pulled off his shirt and lifted her up over his shoulder.

“Caiden!” she screeched, laughing.

“I want you! I want that, what you just described!” He set her on the bed and held her face in his hands. “I want everything with you,” he said, breathlessly.

What could she say to that?

“Okay.”

He leaned down and took her lower lip between his. She was still reeling from that when his tongue traced her upper lip and dove in to tease the roof of her mouth, drawing figure eights.

Imagining his tongue elsewhere, she squeezed her thighs together and moaned deep in her throat.

He broke away from her, his eyes unfocused. “Thank the gods Kendrick is here.”

“Huh?”

That was a weird thing to say.

She was about to ask him about that when the air began to slide around her. The air currents had a warmth to them as they began to ease her out of her clothes. She twisted, wanting that warmth everywhere. “Caiden,” she begged, as she writhed around naked on the bed.

When she looked over, Caiden was now completely nude, standing next to the bed, watching her reactions. “What do you want?” he asked, his voice deeper than before.

“You and that heat, everywhere,” she said, laying back on the bed.

Caiden stretched out his hand, two fingers extended, and he flicked them up. She began to rise off the bed and started to rotate amongst the breezes. Each one moving against her skin like a lover.

When his other hand came up, he brought his hands together, then slowly began to part the air in front of her.

Unseen hands pulled her legs open so that she was exposed to him. It was raw and the most erotic thing she had ever experienced. She was about to come from him looking at her and the man had yet to lay a single finger on her.

He leaned in and ran his tongue through her folds causing her to shout. “Please!”

“Not until I know you’re ready. You will know only pleasure from me,” he promised.

Slowly using his fingers, he traced her stomach, down her mound, ignoring her opening, he followed the crease of her legs back towards her back. Torturously he memorized her body.

“Caiden, I want to touch you,” she said, reaching for him.

The breezes pulled her closer to him, so they were eye to eye.

She smiled, she knew his eyes would be silver.

Gently, she touched his temple, then ran her hands down his body.

He was broad through his shoulders and chest. Slowly she ran her hands down to his hips.

When she used her nails to lightly scratch above his hip bone, his cock jerked.

“Genevieve,” he whispered low.

“You don’t have to worry that I’m ready for you,” she said, leaning in to bite his earlobe. “I can feel that my thighs are slick, that’s what you wanted wasn’t it?” she asked, reveling in the way he shuddered under her hands. “I need you.”

Caiden joined her in the air, and they twined together. Using his hand, he guided himself forward and plunged deep. A primal scream erupted from her that she didn’t even know she was capable of. Around them it sounded as if the walls were flexing.

One moment he was pounding deep, then he would let up and slide forward slowly. When he sensed she was on the edge, a warm twist at her breast or slide of air at her clit had her twisting his hair in her hands.

She wrapped her legs around his hips and set the pace she needed. “Caiden, please, I’m so close,” she begged.

“My sweetest love, I will always give you what you need,” he said.

He pulled back and looked her in the eyes.

"As there is a sun and moon, a sky and earth, and a Lord and Lady, so there are two pieces to this one soul.

Let us be complete once more, never to be torn apart.

I give everything I am into my mate's keeping, let my love protect and guard our joined souls. "

He thrust deep to the rhythm she needed.

When her orgasm began to crest, her body tightening, triggered his release.

She felt small strings begin to connect her to things that she couldn’t see, and for one life shattering moment, she felt as if the spirit of the earth was smiling at them, happy that they had found one another.

Slowly, they descended to the bed. Breathing hard, he pulled from her body and held her close. “I have waited my whole life for you,” he said, running his hands over her hair.

“I feel bad, I didn’t have to wait nearly as long for you,” she said, pulling back to look up at him. “That was amazing.”

He grinned. “Glad I could be of service.”

She wiggled until she was able to look at him clearly. “Was it okay for you? I can’t do magic to make things better.”

His mouth fell open. “Are you kidding, if it were any better, the Goddess herself might take us early.” He pointed to her chest. “You may not be able to do magic like me, but over time you will be able to do small things, since we’re mated.”

“The tongue thing?”

He stared. “Of all the things air magic could do, that is what you focused on?”

“I have my priorities,” she said.

“Actually, I have no idea if air will manifest for you. It will be fun seeing what happens.”

She stretched, then looked down. “I may need a washcloth,” she admitted blushing.

He kissed her nose and got up. “I love how easily you blush.”

“You’re one to talk, your ears turn red like Rudolph.”

He stood at the edge of the bed staring down at her. “You’re lying.”

“I’m so not.”

His hand went to his ear. “They turn red?”

She got up and sat cross-legged. “How can you be this old and not know?”

He frowned. “My brothers would have told me.”

“How often were you embarrassed around them?”

“It had to have happened at least a few times,” he said, looking contemplative.

“Hmmm,” he said, and walked to a door and opened it. When he turned on the light, she saw it was the bathroom. He came back holding the cloth. “Would you allow me?” he asked.

Knowing she was the color of a tomato, she laid back and spread her legs for him. Gently, he wiped her clean. With each swipe, he’d place a gentle kiss on her leg or mound, whatever had his attention.

When he was done, he went back to the bathroom, cleaned himself up, and returned.

She eased herself out of the bed and was feeling around for wet spots.

Grinning, he waved his hand. “Air to separate water and fiber, and fire to dry.” He used his magic to send a small mess to the bathroom. She heard the toilet flush and looked back at the bed. “Arlo was right, you do have magic tricks.”

“Why am I getting the feeling that was the one that impressed you the most?” he asked, looking disgruntled.

She wrapped her arms around him, then flung herself backwards on to the mattress, causing her warrior mate to ‘eep’. Giggling she held him as they got comfortable on the bed.

“I can do more impressive things in bed, besides clean,” he said, deliberately using a manly voice.

“Maybe you’ll have to show me repeatedly to convince me,” she said, resting her head on his chest.

“We tell no one about that noise I made.”

“Of course, that was just for me.”

“Especially my brothers.”

“Ok, my love,” she said, squeezing him tight.

“I’m a unit leader you know,” he continued.

“Caiden, if I look, will your ears be red?”

He gasped and his hands came up to cover his ears.

Grinning she began to tickle his ribs.

“No fair!” he laughed.

Seconds later she was suspended over him, his hands still over his ears.

“I think red ears are sexy. They were what endeared you to me at first.”

His hands came down. “Really?”

“Yes, I figured no one that adorable could be a killer.”

He groaned and she floated down to lay on top of him. “No man wants to hear he’s adorable.”

“Why not? It makes me want to stay near you always.”

“So, it’s not a bad thing?”

“No. I think if a person’s feelings are that shallow that a moment of vulnerability makes them turn from you, they weren’t meant to be in your life anyway. That being said, those adorable moments make you more real to me, like I’m meant to be in your life to see them.”

He nodded. “Then I won’t mind my ears from now on. They are my gift to you.”

“God! How can you be this sweet?”

“Mother said all three of us came out with sweet temperaments because she lived off of sugar for the five years she had us.”

“My mom said she ate the same pack of crackers and had a diet coke everyday of her pregnancy, which might be why I love a variety of food.”

Caiden looked down at her. “That couldn’t have been healthy.”

“Let’s just say I’m lucky to be alive with functioning body parts. She didn’t want to gain weight when she was pregnant. I think she even smoked when she was having Mike, to keep her birth weight low.”

“Do I have to meet your mother? I would try to be polite, but I’m not sure that would be possible knowing that”, he admitted.

She shook her head. “Both her and my father are out of my life. Mike and I walked away when I was twenty and she was twenty-two. The last Arlo checked, they were living in the Keys, enjoying retirement.”

“You have my parents now,” he offered. “And my brothers.”

“And half the damn fae court evidently,” she said, then grinned. “Wait until Arlo hears I got to meet the former, and current fae queens. That’s what he gets for putting his hoe-like ways before me.”

“And if he were interrupting us?” Caiden asked.

“Oh yeah. Never mind. I’ll tease him about going to fae-land, but not about mating. He has a high sex drive on a normal Tuesday, we probably won’t see him for a while.”

“I overheard Meryn asking if being a water witch meant he could create lube,” Caiden said.

Genevieve wasn’t expecting to hear that and inhaled spit causing her to choke. Caiden rubbed her back as she gasped for air. “She what?”

“Evidently, they took, ’The Butt Sex’ lessons in Noctem Falls. I’m assuming it was more sex ed, than demonstration. Aiden wouldn’t let anything crazy happen,” he explained.

“I am going to bribe her to find out what she learned.”

“It wouldn’t take much, she loves food as much as you do.”

She shivered and all at once they were lifted up, and tucked under the covers as the bed began to warm up. “Oh my god, can you warm my feet in the winter?”

“Easily,” he said. He looked down. “I really wish you would be more impressed by my bedroom skills, not my domestic ones.”

She looked up at him. “We’ll probably use your domestic ones more.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Right?”

He smiled.

“Right?”

“Genevieve?”

“Yeah?”

“I will take up that gauntlet.”

She climbed up on top of him straddling his waist. “Bring it,” she challenged.

And. He. Did.