13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

G lancing around the central square of Addersfield, Olivia could see that this year's festival would be one to remember.

It had been a long two weeks, getting everything finalized. But it was all worth it. Fall had officially arrived and the air held the promise of magic. Tonight, she and her friends would renew the protection spell on the town.

But before that, they all planned to have some fun.

She glanced down at her dress. She had never much cared for this particular tradition. Especially considering the sun was beginning to set and the temperature approaching fifty degrees. But a quick warming spell took care of that.

“I am warm, warm as fire; keeping warm is my desire.”

Each of the three witches wore a cream-colored dress with flowing sleeves and long skirts. They wore silver ballet flats on their feet. They adorned their heads with a laurel wreath, made with whatever they chose. Olivia’s was woven with roses, lavender, and a little bit of white lace. Parker’s held several different colors of dahlias and Jill’s went with all things yellow: sunflowers, daisies, marigolds, and forsythia.

Everyone around her was bundled up—hats, scarves, and gloves. Most people carried cups of hot chocolate or hot cider. Kids ran around waving around caramel apples and Jill’s cider donuts.

Daniel was off with his friend Lola and her dad. If she knew her son, he was currently trying to play and win every game there was. He was never one to give up easily.

“Hey, Liv,” Parker said, coming to stand next to her. “Everything looks great, doesn’t it?”

“It does. We really outdid ourselves this year.”

“We absolutely did. Jill is dragging Malcolm through the corn maze as we speak and my mom is running our booth. The tamales are selling like crazy. I figured I’d check out the festivities by myself. I lost my wing-woman this year.”

“Yeah. Sorry about that.”

“Hey, don’t apologize. I’m happy for you. Is Draven meeting you here?”

“Mhmm. He said he had some things to take care of first. Speaking of, did you have a chance to ask your abuelita about his mom?”

Parker winced, slapping her hand against her forehead, “Shit. No, I’m sorry, Liv. We’ve been so busy and I completely forgot. But based on what you told me, she was probably friends with my mom. Or at least she was a friend of a friend. They probably know something. I’ll ask as soon as I have a chance.”

“No worries. We’ve all been crazy busy. He’s been busy too and he did not seem like he was in any rush to figure things out.”

That was a bit odd. If his whole reason for coming here in the first place was to learn more about his mother, why wasn’t he more curious? Why hadn’t she clocked that before? Her feelings for Draven were distracting her. But she wasn’t sure how much she cared right now. Guilt churned in her gut.

“Liv, are you okay?” Parker asked, eyes wide.

But she could examine all of that tomorrow. She was determined to enjoy tonight. “Yeah, I’m good. Just a little bit nervous about tonight and I’m anxious to see Draven, I guess.”

That wasn’t exactly a lie. She was nervous about casting the spell tonight. It was a big deal and she took the responsibility of it very seriously.

They hadn’t seen each other much over the last two weeks. She was so busy organizing the festival and he was busy writing. She had never actually seen what he was working on, but maybe he would show her when he was ready. She could be patient. If she pushed too much, he might get suspicious as to why she wanted to know.

Spending so little time with him made her realize how much she had missed having someone to be with every day. He still came into the bakery each morning for a few minutes, and they saw each other as much as possible in the evenings. He had even taken her and Daniel out to dinner a few nights ago.

The three of them got burgers and milkshakes. Draven talked about sailing with Daniel, regaling him with stories from his childhood sailing with his brother. Then Daniel had asked them if they were boyfriend-girlfriend.

Draven had looked to her as to how to proceed, which she appreciated. She had found herself nodding without giving it too much thought. But once the idea was out there, it felt good.

Only a few nights ago, Draven had attended his very first Wednesday night dinner. Rosa was probably the most thrilled when Olivia and Daniel had shown up at her door, Draven standing awkwardly behind them.

Draven had joined Daniel and Malcolm in the living room and Olivia had overheard him sharing his own funny story for the week. When they all sat down to eat, he handled Rosa and Janella’s question with ease. Neither of them mentioned his mother and Draven did not ask. Maybe he just wasn’t ready to talk about her yet. Olivia could understand that. In a way, it would be like getting to know his mother for the first time. Something like that could not be easy.

Tonight, she was excited for Draven to experience the festival. It was the very best that Addersfield had to offer.

“You know what would make me really happy, though?” she asked Parker. “If I did not have my best friends spying on my every move tonight.”

“Yeah … well, that’s easier said than done. But how about this—I promise to contain the damage as much as I can. If Jill so much as looks like she’s going to make an inappropriate comment, I'll tackle her.”

Olivia laughed. “I’d pay good money to see that.”

“You have to do the same thing for me when or if I eventually meet someone.”

“You will, Parker and when the time comes, I've got your back.”

Parker smiled. “I appreciate that. Hey, don’t look now, but I think your boy finally made it. I’ll catch ya later, Liv,” she said as she hurried away.

If only Jill could be that cooperative.

Olivia waved after her and then turned around to see Draven looking right at her.

He was dressed in a black leather jacket, black fitted T-shirt and dark blue jeans. He wore his signature black Converse on his feet. His face held a bit more scruff than it had had in recent days. Good God, the man was sex on a stick. His piercing blue eyes always made her go weak at the knees.

She cut through the crowds of people until they met in the middle, coming close enough to reach for each other's hands.

“Hey. You made it.”

He smelled so good, like mint and sandalwood. She had missed that smell.

“Sorry, I’m a little late. You look amazing. Very old school,” he said with a wink.

At least her friends hadn’t forced her to go full-on witch and wear a pointy black hat. That was a tough sell even for her. But it was fun to put on the crown and pretend for a little while.

“Is that a good thing?” she teased.

He responded by pulling her gently into his arms. “Yes. Everything about you is a good thing. You could say I'm in love with every part of you.”

Her breath caught at the word love. Oh, what she wouldn’t give to know if he really meant that, for this man to see her as she was and not turn away.

In the past, her magic had been the source of the worst pain she had ever known. It had pushed away people she loved and made her feel too different to be loved or accepted. She did not want Draven to leave, not when she had finally found something real.

Because fuck, she loved him. So much. Maybe too much.

“Is something wrong, Olivia?” he asked, his hand squeezing hers a little tighter as her eyes came back up to meet his.

“No, sorry, I just … a lot is happening, you know?” she said, hoping that he would understand.

“Yes. I know how anxious you've been to have me as your date tonight. I can imagine that prospect alone would drive any woman to distraction.”

She did not bother hiding her eye roll. He was kidding and she knew he had said that to cut through some of her tension. She rewarded him with a genuine laugh and a smirk, grabbing his hand to pull him into the fray.

“Come on, you goof. Let’s go have some fun.”

She walked up to a booth covered by a red and white striped canopy. There was a wall of balloons in a rainbow of colors stapled to large wooden slats at the back of the booth. She stopped and turned to him.

“Loser buys dinner?”

“You’re on,” he said with a laugh.

He paid for dinner.

She insisted they get foot-long corn dogs. It was her favorite thing at any fair. He looked less than thrilled, but he finished the entire thing, much to her amusement.

For dessert, she stuck to her roots, opting for horchata and pan dulce.

“What is that?” he asked, pointing at the sugary confection.

“Pan dulce. It’s just sweet bread. Usually, it’s made for breakfast. But Rosa always makes them for the festival. Although, I actually made them this year, with her recipe.”

“Well, then I definitely have to try one.”

He insisted on paying despite her protests. They walked around hand in hand, just enjoying each other’s company.

“You’ve got big plans later, right?” he asked as he sipped on a lemonade.

“Yup. We’re renewing the protection spell on the town. We do it every year at the festival, Jill, Parker, and me. The task gets passed down from generation to generation when the next group of witches is ready.”

“What exactly does the protection spell do?”

“Well, it makes the town invisible. It makes it so you have to already know the town exists to be able to find it. It’s to keep people who don’t know magic exists from finding us.”

He stared at her for a moment. She tensed, waiting for his anger. She had been avoiding telling him about this particular thing because she figured he would be annoyed that she knew he was lying to her from the moment they met.

Instead, he laughed, full-on, hands-on knees, belly laughter.

“Draven,” she said, beginning to laugh right along with him. “You’re not mad that I didn't tell you?”

He looked up at her, wiping tears from his eyes. “I’m not mad. I just feel like an idiot, though I wish you had told me once I told you about my mother.”

She cringed. “I thought about it. But I just didn’t want to make you feel bad. I mean, I get why you lied.

He shook his head and cupped her face in his hands. “I appreciate that. But in the future, I’d much rather have all the facts.”

“I promise,” she said with a soft smile before reaching up to capture his lips in a kiss.

One kiss and she was itching to be alone with him. He was holding her hand now, his thumb rubbing circles into her skin—that small bit of pressure making her ache for more.

He seemed to feel the same way because his arm snaked around her waist, pulling her closer. The heat of his hand through the fabric of her dress was just what she needed, as the warming spell had worn off.

His fingers began to knead at the soft skin of her hip. Her hand drifted under the hem of his T-shirt. His skin was hot to the touch.

He leaned his head towards her, his lips just grazing the shell of her ear. It sent a shiver down her spine. “What are you up to?”

She smirked, feeling his breath hitch as her finger dipped into the top of his jeans. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t,” he rasped out. His grip on her waist was firmer now, more insistent. “I want to get you alone. How much privacy do you think we could expect in a corn maze?"

She shook her head. "It's a good thought, but you would be surprised how little alone time you get in there. The kids hide in every corner waiting for people to show up. To scare them.”

They both glanced around, desperate to find somewhere they could be alone. She was about to call it a wash when she spotted a structure in the distance. “But I have another idea.”

“The Ferris wheel?”

“Yup. We weren’t even supposed to have one, actually. But Jenny surprised us all.”

He smirked. “Remind me to thank her later.”

He paid for both their tickets and pulled her to the nearest carriage. It was one of those Ferris wheels with enclosed seats, thank God. They settled on a bench together and when the ride began to move, his lips were at her ear. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

Please God, yes.

His large hand moved to the base of her neck, cupping, pulling her closer—he drew one lone swipe of his tongue against her lower lip before the heat of his mouth was against hers. He tangled his fingers in her hair as he dipped his tongue past her lips—no pretense, no warming up—a desperate divide and conquer that urged her to open up for him.

He turned his head to deepen the kiss, making throaty sounds somewhere between a hum and a growl, and opened and closed his mouth as if trying to devour her, as if trying to take more. Even when they broke away, his lips were moving across her jaw and he pulled her lightly by the hair to force her head to turn as he kissed down her neck greedily. His hand snaked under her dress, sliding higher and higher, fingers finding the edge of her panties and pushing the scrap of fabric aside.

The ride took them higher, occasionally stopping to let on more people. The cool night air tickled her skin.

“Fucking soaked,” he hissed. He reached a little further until he could ease two fingers inside her and then deeper, spreading them a little to stretch her. “Just for me.”

“It is,” she managed breathlessly. “Because of you.”

“Yeah?” His head dipped until his lips could tease her nipple through the thin fabric of her dress. He tugged at it softly, licking it after.

His fingers began to pump in and out of her, sometimes drawing out completely to push up through her folds and circle her clit briefly before crawling back down to dip inside again. She found herself rocking forward unconsciously to ride his hand, closing her eyes as he continued to tease her through her dress.

She cried out loudly when he ground his fingers particularly deep and, in an instant, the hand curled around her neck was over her mouth, staunching the sound.

“Have to be quiet, baby,” he rasped. “Can you be quiet for me?” He pumped his fingers inside her slowly, stroking at her inner walls. “I want you to come on my hand.”

She gave him a shaky nod, swallowing down the sounds in her throat as she ground down on his hand, seeking more. She could feel the sticky mess she was making, felt the way he spread the slickness of her when he found her clit to stroke there, her head fell back as his hand stayed firmly against her mouth, ensuring that she was quiet.

Her sounds came only as unsteady breath and low whimpers in her chest. She shifted her hips with every stroke, every touch—feeling her orgasm building inside as every facet of her skin seems to throb in anticipation. She kept her eyes shut tight as the pressure built and built—Draven worked her faster, touching her more, and her thighs began to shake with the way she was so tightly wound. Her fingers twisted through his hair to tug and tug. She rocked her hips faster; her breaths came harder—stars bloomed in her vision and blood rushed in her ears.

Her eyes flew open when she began to tremble; she saw actual stars above her as she groaned softly through her release. The slippery wet of her orgasm leaked out over his fingers, but he just kept sliding them in and out, lazily now, kissing up her neck in a similar manner.

Then the ride stopped. Shit. He smirked at her, quickly removed his fingers, and adjusted himself in his jeans.

Pity. She had wanted to reciprocate. They exited the ride and glanced around at the crowds. It had only taken ten minutes. But somehow, it felt like longer, in the best way.

“Hey, Liv!”

Jill was hurrying towards them, her flower crown fluttering in the breeze.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you. It’s almost time for our thing.”

“Right, right. Sorry. We uh, we lost track of time,” she said, avoiding Jill’s gaze. If she looked at her, she would lose it. There was no way Jill would not be able to tell what she and Draven had just been up to.

“I suppose this is where you leave me,” Draven said.

She nodded, wishing that did not have to be the case.

“Just for a little while. It's tradition, you know?”

“I get it. This is such an important thing you’re doing. I’ll just head on home for the night. But …”

“But?”

“But if you find yourself feeling a bit lonely tonight, maybe we can get together later.”

Daniel was staying over at a friend's house tonight. They could have the whole night to themselves.

“I might be late.”

He shook his head, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. “I don’t care. I’ll go and hang out with Malcolm for a bit, kill some time.”

“That’s a great idea,” Jill said. “It’s about time you boys got to know each other a little better.”

Olivia moved closer, intending to kiss him, only for the moment to be broken by the emergence of her other friend.

“Jill, I thought you said you were grabbing Olivia and heading out. What's taking so—oh, shoot, sorry,” Parker said before giving an awkward wave. “Carry on with whatever this is.”

She loved her friends. Really, she did. But sometimes, she wanted to throttle them.

“Meet me at my house in a couple of hours?” she asked, looking at Draven and trying her best to ignore everyone else around them.

“I hope so,” he said before giving her one last chaste kiss on her cheek. He bid her friends goodbye as he headed back into the fray.