Chapter Twelve

roam

I thought there would only be one human I liked, and I would learn to tolerate the rest. But Flo, Genie's mom, was a treasure.

She'd offered to go sightseeing on her own to give us privacy, but instead, the three of us had spent the day exploring the island together. I found myself impressed by the number of innuendos Flo managed to work into casual conversation just to embarrass Genie. The bond between the mother and daughter was something special.

As much as I liked Flo, what I enjoyed most had been the way Genie couldn't keep her hands off me. Now that she had opened her heart, she no longer held herself back from showing affection.

At times, her thoughts told me she worried I would become overwhelmed, but that couldn't be further from the truth. After centuries spent alone, I couldn't get enough of being touched and touching her. Sex was mind-blowing, but I equally loved holding her hand, having her rest her head on my chest or shoulder, and feeling her fingers mindlessly rubbing circles on my back.

Last night, we kissed and made out a little, but we hadn't gone all the way. We were enjoying exploring each other's bodies and allowing the anticipation to build. I wanted to claim her body in every way possible, but if she never wanted to take it to the next step, it wouldn't change how I felt.

Swiping the sweat from my brow, I turned slowly around the yard, checking that I hadn't missed any of the bushes and that the grass was perfectly trimmed.

Flo bustled outside, carrying a glass of lemonade. "Roam, you're going to end up dehydrated if you don't stop to drink."

"Thank you, Flo." I lifted the glass, draining it in seconds.

"You can call me Mom." She grinned at me, then with her hands on her hips, she surveyed the yard. "What are you doing out here? And why don't you just use magic instead of exhausting yourself in this heat?"

"I could've used magic, but as idiotic as it sounds, I'm enjoying doing things with my hands. Working makes the time away from Genie pass faster." I hesitated, not sure how honest to be with Flo about my sudden interest in yard work.

Remembering the bag of massage oils and candles she'd given us as a second housewarming present, I decided it was fine to be blunt. "Genie can't focus well during intimacy if the yard is out of control. I enjoy sharing that with your daughter, so I wanted to make sure she wasn't stressed."

Flo's forehead creased. "That's strange. Genie has never had a green thumb or cared about plants other than roses. What exactly did she say?"

"We were in the middle of"—I hesitated—"kissing, and she started worrying. Her exact thought was she needed to check into permanent ways to keep the bush cleared away and the landscape smooth. I will do anything to keep her from feeling anxious when she should feel amazing, so I've cleared away all the bushes, and the grass is all the same length. I've checked it twice."

"I see." Flo's cheeks turned red, and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"My apologies. Considering your constant teasing and encouragement of our physical relationship, I didn't realize my honesty would be embarrassing." I scratched the back of my neck.

"No, no. It's not that, sweet boy!" Tears leaked from Flo's eyes and her shoulders began to shake. "I can assure you my daughter isn't worried about her lawn, although I know she is going to appreciate the work you put in to please her."

She barely got the words out before she burst into laughter and headed back toward the house. "Genie is going to be tickled over this."

I was missing something, but I couldn't figure out what. Oh well, Genie would explain it later.

There were several more hours before she returned home, and I decided that was plenty of time to make three overdue house calls.

I suspected Genie wouldn't like it if I straight up killed her exes, but that didn't mean I couldn't have a little fun while making them pay for the ever single tear they"d caused her to cry. They wouldn't be dead, but they wouldn't be very happy either.