Chapter Eleven

Genevieve

It's a ghost . I probably had a heart attack when Roam went down on me and I died in that changing room.

The only problem was my mom wasn't dead, so she couldn't be a ghost.

Fine, there had to be another explanation. Maybe humans weren't meant to taste a djinn's cake batter, and I was hallucinating.

"Oh my!" My mother covered her eyes and spun around. "I'm so sorry, Genie! Take your time! I'm going to run down to the bakery to get some breakfast."

I remained unmoving, staring at the empty doorway and my hand still frozen around his erection.

"Genevieve." Roam's voice seemed a thousand miles away. "I could take away her memory of this."

When I didn't respond, he sat up, pulling me onto his lap. "Would that make you happy?"

I blinked, bringing his face into focus. My spiraling brain latched onto the way he'd worded his question. He knew I wouldn't wish for it, so he'd worded his question to confirm what I wanted.

Burying my face in my hands, I groaned. "No. I don't want you messing around in my mom's memories. What if you accidentally sent her memories of having a daughter to the same place you sent my boxes?"

"It will be okay, my love," Roam chuckled, rocking me in his arms. "So now what?"

I sighed and dropped my hands to my lap. "You need to brace yourself."

"Is she going to be mad that we had sex before marriage? Or is she going to be mad that you're with a djinn?"

"Neither. You'll see." I decided I would let him figure this one out on his own.

"Then I guess we need to get ready to face her." Roam stood and carried me into the shower.

"You're spoiling me," I murmured as a bubbly sponge smelling of my favorite orange body wash appeared in his hand.

"I enjoy it." He moved the sponge over my skin.

"Thank you," I whispered.

We remained in silence while he shifted our positions and washed my back. When he finished, I reached for the sponge. I rinsed it out and added more soap.

"My turn." I smiled and made soft circles with the sponge on his ethereal blue skin.

"You still refuse to wish for anything."

I kissed a non-soapy spot on his chest. "Because I have everything I could want."

"But you could wish for things to make life easier, upgrade your computer, get a pay raise, or go on a shopping spree." His gaze was so intent I thought it might be burning holes through me. "Why?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "Can't you read it in my thoughts?"

"I've caught a few thoughts, but I still don't fully understand." Roam pulled me to him, and I tried to ignore how amazing it felt to be held while water ran down our slick bodies.

"When I first awakened you, I didn't want to wish for anything because it seemed wrong. You didn't choose to be a djinn, or to be stuck in a lamp and at the mercy of whoever happened to rub it." I traced his jawline with my fingertips. "Then I started having feelings for you. I never want you to question if my feelings are true or if I simply wanted you for what you could give me."

One minute we were standing under the shower spray, and the next I was completely dry. My back bounced on the bed, and a heartbeat later, Roam's body appeared above me, pressing me into the mattress.

I caught my breath at his glowing eyes. "Roam, your eyes. They've changed again," I whispered. "Why do they do that?"

"Extreme emotion." He placed kisses on my lips, my cheeks, my neck, and my shoulders.

I closed my eyes, savoring every spark and butterfly his touch stirred. He made me feel safe and loved. All my fears about being hurt melted away. I trusted him.

Gripping his hips with my legs and hooking my arms around his neck, I flipped him onto his back.

Okay, fine.

He read my mind and rolled over, so that I straddled his stomach.

I caught his face between my palms. "Roam, I know this is way too fast and I have a habit of falling in love easily, but this is different. You aren't like anyone I've ever met—"

"Of course I'm not. I'm a nearly seven-feet-tall blue-skinned djinn," Roam grinned.

"That has nothing to do with it," I scowled, then bit my lip. "Although I'm not complaining."

He brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. "I can change myself to please you better. You only need to tell me."

My heart broke. "I don't need, or want, you to change anything about yourself. You are perfect." I bent to place a soft kiss on his lips. "Roam, I love you. Please don't feel like you have to say it back, because you don't—"

"I wanted you from the moment you touched my lamp. But I started falling in love from our first kiss and the first time I heard your laugh." Roam's lips captured mine in a kiss that left my insides quivering. "I love you."

Resting my head on his chest, I listened to his heartbeat and basked in the love he was radiating.

"I reserve the right to change things to please you. You can't deny you liked the tongue trick," Roam teased.

My body flushed from head to toe. I had enjoyed that, and I was more than a little curious about what he had in mind. "Only if you do it because you want to. You are more than capable of pleasing me without changing a thing."

That brought me to another thing I'd been wanting to ask. "Roam, do you want to be free of your lamp and of granting wishes? I can research it and try to find a way."

"It can be done. I discovered another djinn who fell in love with a human. But I don't want that." Roman's hand rubbed circles on my back.

"Why not? I don't ever want you to feel trapped with me." I rubbed his chest.

"Because I like being a djinn. I enjoy the freedom of being able to use my magic to surprise you… and please you. Why do I need to be freed if I'm already free and happy?"

I searched his eyes, looking for any sign that he was lying. But I saw only sincerity. "If you ever change your mind—"

Roam huffed. "You will be the first to know. But that isn't going to happen. And if you change your mind about making wishes, just know I am eager to grant them. I've never granted wishes for someone I loved."

We lay there in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

"Can this work between us?" I whispered.

"This will work." Roam ran his fingers through my hair. "Because we love each other. Now, your mother will be back any minute. Should we prepare to face her?"

Rolling off his chest and onto my back, I groaned into my hands. I knew what was coming, and for a moment, I considered wishing us to be anywhere else in the world. But that would only be putting off the inevitable.

#

When my mom opened the front door, Roam and I were sitting at the table sipping coffee. Despite my embarrassment, I was happy to see her. Standing, I rushed over to hug her.

Roam appeared at her side and took the donut boxes from mom's hands so she could hug me back. "Let me get those for you."

He headed toward the kitchen with them, giving us the illusion of privacy. With a partner who could read my thoughts, there wasn't any real privacy. Some people might have been freaked out or even upset about it, but I loved knowing he was just a thought a way, and that he cared enough to enjoy listening to my nonsensical ramblings so he could get to know me better.

I could admit I was a bit clingy, and having him in my head was a level of closeness I could have only dreamed of.

"Did you have fun?" Mom's stage-whisper brought me back to reality.

"Mom!" I pretended to be angry. "Why are you here? And how did you get inside my house?"

"Sweetie, you've hidden your spare house key inside that creepy cat gnome since you rented your first condo. I think you need a new hiding spot." My mother had the audacity to chuckle. "After our call, I thought I needed to pop in and make sure you didn't run this man off. I'm your mother; I can't help but worry you're going to die alone surrounded by a hundred cats if someone didn't remind you that men exist and they can add a lot to your life."

Her warm green eyes slid toward Roam. "Although based on what I saw, you don't need any help remembering."

I rolled my eyes and led her into the kitchen. "Come meet Roam. My boyfriend."

Mom clapped her hands in glee, then grabbed Roam in a hug. "She's stubborn about admitting to her feelings, but she's worth the challenge."

Roam stiffened, then relaxed and patted her back. "I'm not going anywhere unless your daughter tries to give me away again."

"ROAM!" I yelped.

"GENIE!" Mom yelled. "You tried to give him away?" Her voice dropped. "Based on what I glimpsed in your bedroom, you need to put a ring on him. Men aren't made like him."

"Mom," I groaned, closing my eyes and briefly considering making a wish for the ground to open up and swallow me.

She lifted her chin and sniffed. "I swear I looked away, but it was kinda too big to miss. No wonder you sounded like you were being strangled."

The sly smirk she shot me didn't go unnoticed by Roam, who bit his lip to keep from laughing.

I sagged down in one of the kitchen table chairs. This was exactly what I thought would happen. My mom had a wicked sense of humor and would do just about anything to see me happy. Over the years, I'd had coworkers with meddling mothers who just wanted grandkids, and pushed hard for them to get married and procreate.

As uncomfortable as this was, my mom's intentions were far different. She knew me as well as I knew myself, and she'd helped me put the pieces of my life back together after having my love thrown in my face. But while my gut reaction was to protect my heart by never falling in love again, she knew that was me denying a huge part of what made me who I was. Mom wanted me to be loved because she knew it was what I needed to be complete.

"Oh! I got you something!" Mom grinned and rushed toward one of the bakery boxes. "Go sit, Roam. This is for you too."

My eyes widened in horror and my heart stopped.

Roam sat and pulled me into his arms. "You look scared, as though you think she's got a viper in that box."

"It's far worse." I licked my dry lips.

"You know what's in the box?" Roam asked, kissing my cheek.

"No, but I know my mom." His hand rested on my stomach and I laced my fingers through his, holding him tight. "Promise you won't run."

"Not a chance," Roam assured me.

Mom sat the box on the table and spun it to face us. "I thought we needed something to celebrate."

Then she lifted the lid, displaying the large cookie cake. A large hot dog had been drawn in icing, and above it was written:

HOT DOG! You did it!

Congrats!

Roam burst out laughing while I stared slack-jaw at the cookie. I jumped when Mom pulled the string on a tiny plastic champagne bottle.

Mom frowned. "Well, crap. It was supposed to send confetti all over the place. I guess it was a dud."

"Let me help," Roam grinned, and with a snap of his fingers, sparking confetti rained down on the room.

"This is amazing!" Mom cheered, then picked a piece of the confetti up off the table and began laughing so hard she had to sit down.

Glancing down at the table, I stared at the tiny hot dog-shaped confetti.

"Don't encourage her!" I warned him, trying hard not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

Roam high-fived my mom. "I think we're going to get along just fine."

"As long as the only thing you break is her bed, and not her heart, we'll get along swimmingly." Mom wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "Now grab some plates and let's eat. Not all of us had breakfast in bed this morning."

I dropped my head forward, and would have banged it on the table if Roam hadn't slid his hand in the way. Mom never stayed more than two or three days, but I was sure they would be long and hard.

"That's exactly what I'm hoping for," Roam purred against my ear.