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WILL

There’s something wrong with me. Really wrong with me. I don’t even care that I just made a beautiful woman orgasm, but my dick is still hard and aching. The second I’d seen Callie, I’d been so relieved. All I wanted to do was hold her and touch her until I was sure she was real.

But now, when reality should be setting in, instead I’m hyper-aware of Callie’s every move.

Holding her small hand in mine, I take her the long way away from the water, heading for our firehouse in the most roundabout way possible. I tell myself to focus on the world around me, to keep an eye out for any sign of danger, but I’m struggling. Every few seconds, I find myself looking at her.

Callie is stunning. Her strawberry-blonde hair is wild about her face. The way she clings to me says that she trusts I can keep her safe. It makes me feel more manly and capable than I’ve ever felt in my life.

“Are we almost there?” she whispers into the darkness.

My chest aches at the exhaustion in her voice. We’re very close to the firehouse. I took us around so we’re approaching it from the rear. A few more feet and we’ll be out in the open area between the trees and the back porch of the house. I can also see her back porch if I squint.

“Come here,” I say, tugging her behind a tree.

Pressing her against the bark, I place my hands above her and stare down at those blue eyes. Even though the moon conceals some of the brilliance of her irises, I think they’re burned into my memory forever.

“Things are going to move quickly when we get back,” I say, needing her to be prepared.

“How so?” she asks, and the innocence in her voice makes my groin tighten. Who knew protectiveness could be such a turn on?

“Dangerous people are looking for us.”

“I know that,” she says, and her hand lifts to slowly stroke my chest.

“And there’s an old witch, a powerful woman, who wants us to bring you to her.”

I feel her stiffen beneath me. “Why?”

“We don’t know.”

I can almost sense her heart beating faster. “But you’re going to bring me to her?”

It takes me too long to answer. “Yes.” And before she can ask me, I continue, “We believe she’s one of the good guys. Not only can she protect us, but she might have the answers to a lot of your questions.”

Her breath comes out in a rush. “You trust her?”

“In this situation, yes.” Not that we’d want to be mixed up with that family any more than we had to be.

Sensing her tension, I move closer, holding her between me and the tree. Her body relaxes as her head falls onto my chest.

It’s strange. I never imagined I’d ever meet a woman I enjoyed being around so much. Unfortunately for me, history seems to want to repeat itself, but I’ll be damned if I let the witches kill Callie.

I won’t make the same mistakes as before.

“Will?”

“Yes,” I murmur, glancing down at the woman in my arms.

“Why are you guys helping me?”

There are so many answers to her question that would make sense, but every time I open my mouth to speak the words, I stop. The idea of saying any of it makes me feel oddly vulnerable. And if there’s one thing I hate, it’s feeling vulnerable.

“If you want to be complimented, just ask.”

She punches me lightly in the chest, but there’s amusement in her voice. “I’m not kidding!”

“Well, to begin with, you’re beautiful.”

Her little fist strikes me again. I know she’s got more power in her muscles than that. She’s playing with me. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“And you’re kind of funny… at least funny to watch.”

“Will!”

“And when you orgasm, you say my name in the hottest fucking?—”

“Will! Stop. Just stop. Forget I asked.”

I can’t help but grin. “What? You don’t like me talking about the noises you make while I’m stroking your pussy, pussy cat?”

She makes a frustrated sound. “That is absolutely not fair! You?—”

And then she stops speaking.

I frown. “Callie?” Did I make her mad? I only wanted a moment of levity to brighten her mood before things get dark again.

“It’s not fair,” she says, and there’s a note to her voice I don’t like. “Life’s not always fair.” Her hand slides down to the button on my jeans. “But there are ways we can even the playing field.”

Fucking hell. I glance around in the darkness of the woods on this side of the town. There’s nobody around, and even if they were, they wouldn’t be able to see much.

Still…

“That’s not a good idea,” I say.

She flicks open the button on my pants, and I hear the sound of her drawing the zipper down as I feel her hand press against my erection.

“I think it’s the perfect idea.”

Suddenly, I’m having a hard time catching my breath. “We’re supposed to be getting back.”

She pushes down my pants, then trails a finger along the hem of my boxers. “Are you in a rush?”

“Fuck,” I whisper.

“Because your massively hard erection says you might just want to see where this is going.”

I brace myself against the tree and wait.

Slowly, she pulls my boxers down. The cold night hits my dick for only a second before Callie wraps her hands around my length and strokes.

“Damn it all to hell,” I groan, trying like mad not to lose control and start thrusting into her hand.

“Does that feel good, Will?”

I nod my head, panting.

Her hand tightens, and a string of curses explodes from my lips. “And that?”

“Fucking hell, you know what you’re doing!”

She moves closer, and I lean down so she doesn’t have to stand on her tiptoes. Her lips run along my neck, straying to my ear, where she bites my earlobe gently.

“I’ve had a lot of practice,” she says.

I stiffen and my words are almost a growl. “My dick better be the first one you’ve touched.” My skin heats from inside, but I’m nowhere near losing control of my fire.

She laughs, a husky little sound. “Is that what you want to think? That I’m yours and only yours?”

A shudder rolls through my body, and my cock swells in her hands. “You are now,” I grit out.

Her husky laugh comes again, and she strokes me faster.

I try and fail, to hold still, to show some self-control. Instead, I thrust into her tight, small hand, my nerves screaming in pleasure as she squeezes me like she owns me.

When I’m on the edge of coming, I shift and kiss her. The smile on her lips fades. Her mouth meets mine harder and with more abandon. My tongue sweeps into her mouth, and she moans, tangling her tongue with mine.

The way she seems to sink into me, to give herself to me, turns me on in a way I never expected. Shifting my hips to aim to her right, I come all over the forest floor with a groan of pleasure and don’t stop coming as she pumps me faster and faster.

It isn’t until I’m spent that I collapse against her, breaking our kiss. Where, to my surprise, she continues to hold my dick.

“Now, we’re even,” she whispers into my ear, as she fondles my softening cock.

It takes me a minute to calm down enough to respond. “Not completely.”

“How’s that?” There’s a smile in her question.

“A man’s job is to make his woman feel more pleasure than he feels, so next time, I’m going to lick that pussy of yours until you scream.”

She tenses beneath me, and her breath quickens. “I bet you say that to all the women who jerk you off in the woods.”

I smile as I brush a kiss against the top of her head. “Only you.”

I’m about to say more when I see a lone figure coming around the side of the firehouse. Tensing, I push her hand away from my cock and arrange my pants and boxers back into place. She pulls away, and I hear a rustling sound. The moon has gone behind a cloud, so I can’t see what she’s doing.

As the person draws closer, I hear a familiar voice say, “Callie? Is that you?”

I turn to Callie. “You ready to face reality?”

“Now that I’ve cleaned my hand off on some leaves, yeah.” I can tell she’s trying to be funny, but the nervous tone in her voice shows me just how worried she is.

“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her, entwining my fingers with hers. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

As we go out to greet Hank, a strange feeling comes over me. I’ve always been a little reckless. I’ve never really cared if I pissed off the witches or made myself enemies. But for the first time in a long time, I can see a future stretching out in front of me. A future with Callie.

The reality feels strange, like I’m living someone else’s life, but it also makes me realize something else. I need to find a way to make peace with the witches, if not for Callie’s sake, then for mine.

Because I want a future spent with Callie on her back screaming my name, and I can’t exactly do that if I’m constantly running for my life.

First to the old witch’s house and then to make peace.