Chapter Four
Roam
Genie took long sips of her coffee, and I tried to ignore the little moans she made as the warm beverage slid down her throat. It was the same adorable sounds she'd made when I'd explored her skin with my mouth, and had woken her up with soft kisses.
My stomach clenched at the lie I'd told her.
I'd told her most of the truth. The journey had banged up my lamp and my memory, leaving fuzzy bits, missing sections and a killer headache. I'd also been telling her the truth about being fine with her using my body. But that wasn't the full truth.
If I told her the full truth she would have tossed the lamp back in the box and returned to sender. While she slept, I'd grown bored and picked up the book she'd left lying on the table near the couch. It was through that book I discovered what a fling was. No strings, no emotions, just pleasure and fun before going your separate ways.
Genie's thoughts about romance were loud. It had taken more than an hour to understand that she was scared of love, and terrified of giving herself to someone else who would let her down.
Offering her a fling had seemed like my best chance to help her feel more comfortable around me and give her time to see I would never hurt her if she gave me a chance. I hadn't been prepared for how hard it was to offer her intimacy without emotions.
The truth was that it had been love at first sight for me.
I might not have my memories of the individual faces of the previous lamp owners, but I could still feel the resentment and hatred I'd felt when being awakened in the past. Every. Single. Time.
But not with her.
The moment she'd touched the lamp, I'd connected with her mind, something new to me. I'd been sucked from the lamp and into her dazzling presence. It wouldn't have mattered what Genie looked like, I'd already connected with her and I would've thought she was the most beautiful woman on earth.
But nothing could have prepared me for the fiery red-headed beauty with her sultry green eyes, pouty lips, and legs for days. She was built for long nights filled with wild, sweaty sex and had the passion to match her looks, but she kept that part of herself locked away. In some ways she'd been banged up worse than me. I wasn't broken up about losing my memories, and didn't really care about trying to get them back. No, I was spending far more time figuring out what I wanted to do about Genie's.
Her thoughts had shown me what she thought a Djinn was; a kind-hearted, wish-granting, fairy-godfather, sidekick. The only accurate part of that was my wish-granting abilities. But I wasn't bound to just wish granting, and I didn't have to use my powers for good.
Which was great, since I had plans for the men who'd broken her belief in love. I didn't see a reason to scare her by telling her the full truth about what she'd awakened. I was content to be her tame lap dog… until the day she needed a hellhound.
Genie crossed her legs, and the blanket she had wrapped around herself slid off her lap, showing her bare thigh all the way up to her hip. Her hair was tangled around her face, her makeup was smeared, and she was wearing nothing but a ragged blanket, but she looked like a goddess. Yesterday, when she'd awakened me, the primal need to touch her skin and taste her lips had been overpowering, and I'd jumped at the chance to grant her mental wishes.
Having her thoughts as a guide on how she liked to be touched was a blessing, but also a curse because I had to resist going too far. I wanted her body, heart and mind to be on the same page. The last thing I wanted was to make her uncomfortable or cause her to retreat into her protective shell.
Catching my stare, Genie blushed, quickly tucking the blanket back over her leg. I bit back a sigh, wishing she would feel confident enough to embrace her warm physical nature.
Sex was incredible, but it was more than that. Touch made her feel safe, comforted, and alive. Yet, she kept pulling away, feeling either too scared or too embarrassed to verbalize what she wanted. Her soul was starving, and I could practically feel the anxiety and pent-up stress rolling off her.
If the offer of a fling made her comfortable enough to take what she needed from me to begin healing her heart, then I would be satisfied. And in the end, if she chose to walk away, I'd leave without telling her that she didn't just hold my lamp, she owned my heart.
Genie's stomach rumbled, reminding me she needed food. I need to go get groceries. Why didn't I at least stop and grab a box of donuts yesterday?
A constant stream of her rambling thoughts drifted through my mind, it was a welcome change to the hollow ache of loneliness I felt. I focused, sorting through her mind to find her favorite donut. Boston Creme.
I held out a plate with two donuts, "Here you go."
Her eyes widened and she looked at me with the cutest look of awe as though I'd done some amazing thing. "How'd you know?"
"Magic." I teased, sliding my knuckles against her cheek, loving the instinctual way she leaned into my touch.
Why is he so sweet? Don't cry, don't cry. Oh crap, what if he kisses me? I still have morning breath! I could wish for my teeth to be brushed and then kiss him. No. I'm behaving. But why does he have to be cute and nice?
He's a Trojan Horse to my no-man-mandate. Hang on. Do I need to buy condoms for his crotch-rocket? How will I know what size he is?I could pretend to pass out and accidentally grab him. No, that's low, Genie. But how can I be prepared just in case something happens?
Her cheeks turned as red as her hair and her eyes drifted lower. I waited, hoping she would push past her hesitancy and reach for me.
When she didn't, I answered her unspoken questions. "I don't need a condom. And size can be whatever you want."
Her heart skipped several beats, then thumped out an erratic rhythm.
I pressed my ear to her chest, listening intently and worrying she'd developed a heart problem. "Have you experienced heart issues in the past?"
"No. It's not that." She giggled, sitting her plate down and running her fingers through my hair.
"Then what happened?" I demanded, still straining to hear every quiver and twitch of her heart.
Her hand jerked, and she whispered. "Can't you just read my thoughts and know the answer?"
"I could, but I'd rather you just tell me," I grumbled. "You were thinking about size and I assured you size wasn't an issue because I can be any size or shape you want-"
Her heart did the weird hiccup, stuttering thing again. "See? It did it again!"
I was two seconds away from sending my magic into her, when she squeaked, "Any shape?"
The pieces fell into place and I pulled back, meeting her wide-eyed gaze. "What good is having magic if I can't use it to make your wildest dreams come true?"