22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

T his was a lot of food, even for her. But this family dinner was special, their first with Lucas, so Olivia wanted to make it special.

There were going to be a lot of people. Her, Draven, Daniel and Lucas. Parker, Janella, and Rosa. Plus, Jill and Malcolm. Still, she may have overdone it a little. Not that there was anything she could do about that now.

“Wow, Mom. Even for you, this is a bit much.”

She cringed. Damn that kid. He was too much like her. Yet, she had to laugh. Hopefully, everyone would be willing to take home plenty of leftovers because she had gone all out. She was making enchiladas with beans and rice—three pans of each—chips, and homemade salsa. Of course, she had mixed up a few pitchers of horchata. She also made two tres leches cakes—plenty for everyone and then some.

“I have to admit, the kid has a point. You sure you made enough for everyone?” Draven asked as he came to stand next to her at the counter.

“Ha ha, you’re both absolutely hilarious. So, I went a little overboard, okay? I’m just excited. It’s Lucas’s first family dinner with us. A new beginning for everyone. Is it so bad that I want it to go well?”

“No,” Draven said, pressing a kiss to her hair. “I think it’s really sweet of you. I’m sure Lucas will appreciate your thoughtfulness.”

“Yeah, Draven’s right, Mom. I think everything is going to be great,” Daniel said, giving her a big smile and clapping his hands together like he was ready to get to work. “Do you need help with anything?”

She pulled Daniel close, planting a kiss on the top of his head. Always her best little helper. In addition to this being Lucas’s first family dinner, this was also the first time she was cooking said dinner. Rosa had graciously agreed to give up her cooking and hosting duties this week. She was also a little nervous. Looking around at her kitchen, every surface was covered with dishes and pots and pans. Maybe next week they could go back to Rosa’s. This whole thing was a lot more work than she thought it would be.

The house did smell incredible. But from now on, she would stick to baking and cooking the occasional meal for Daniel and herself during the week. Well, herself, Daniel and Draven.

These last few days with him had been nothing short of perfect. She knew it wouldn’t last forever. Eventually, one of them would do something to annoy the other. But that was life. Always a little bit messy. They had the talk about where this was going and what they each needed from each other to make this work: no more secrets, no more lies. Draven would continue living in his own house for the time being, if only to make sure things stayed consistent for Daniel. Though if Daniel had his way, Draven would be moved in tomorrow.

She was grateful. Daniel loved Draven and Draven adored Daniel. There was a time not so long ago when seeing the two of them together terrified her, if only because she was worried that he would leave them. But Draven was committed to their life together and now Daniel knew he was someone they could both depend on.

The three of them spent the next couple of hours cooking and putting the finishing touches on everything. She was more than grateful for the help. She loved seeing Daniel in the kitchen. It always got her wondering if someday he would turn his passion into a career, the way she had. Of course, she wanted him to do whatever would make him most happy, but there was a little part of her that loved the idea of a mother and son bakery. Not that she would ever tell Daniel that. Poor kid would probably be mortified.

About an hour before dinner, Lucas showed up. Draven had introduced the two of them yesterday over a much smaller dinner. She was thrilled to learn that Lucas would be staying in town on a permanent basis. Draven explained about their mother and what exactly that meant for them. Then they had gone to look at their mother’s spell in the book. For now, it was being kept at Parker’s, protected by the brand-new spell. Eventually, they would come up with a more permanent place for it, but for now, this worked.

Lucas had shed a few tears upon seeing the spell. He had a million questions and Parker and Draven did their best to answer every single one. Draven also mentioned that there seemed to be something between Parker and Lucas, that they were constantly stealing glances at each other and flirting when they thought no one was looking. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but she was excited for her friend. Maybe she could ask Parker about it at some point tonight. Away from prying ears, of course, and only if Jill promised to be on her very best behavior.

It was also really great to see Daniel and Lucas interact with each other. While Draven was generally pretty serious, Lucas was not. He was constantly cracking jokes and telling Daniel all kinds of funny stories about his life in New York—the G-rated versions, of course. Daniel was a great kid and he could throw a sarcastic comment out there with the best of them. But sometimes, she worried he was a little bit too serious for a kid his age. So, it was nice to see him loosen up that much more around Lucas.

Of course, that endeared Lucas to her even more. The best and easiest way to end up in her good graces was to be good to her son.

“I don’t want to jinx it, Liv….” Draven said at one point from his spot beside her in the kitchen. “But I think this is going to go very well.”

She laughed, stepping into his arms for a hug. “I think so too. Alright, we’ve got thirty minutes before the troops arrive. I think everything is just about done. We just need to get the rice and beans into the serving dishes. The enchiladas can stay in the oven; we’ll just turn down the temperature to keep them warm. I need to mix up the guacamole, both kinds. The pitchers of horchata can stay in the fridge until everyone gets here. We’ll bring out the dessert later, obviously and we need to set the table.”

Crap, there was still so much to do. Suddenly thirty minutes felt a little bit like thirty seconds.

“Hey, Liv,” Draven said, still holding her in his arms. “We’ve got this. Everything will be ready to go. It all looks delicious; it all smells delicious and I know everything will taste delicious. You’ve worked really hard today and everyone will appreciate that. It’s just a family dinner. I know it’s a special one, but you don’t need to prove yourself. Everything is going to be great.”

She sighed. “You’re right; I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m worrying. I mean, I do this for a living.”

“Well, technically, you bake for a living. Not cook.”

She shoved him away, laughing. “Oh my God, you’re starting to sound like Daniel with that damn sarcasm. Yes, I bake for a living. But you know what I mean. I work with food.”

He pulled her back into his arms, still laughing at her frustration. “I’m sorry. I just could not help myself. I think you’re right, though; Daniel is a bad influence.”

Their laughter was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing.

She glanced at the clock on her phone. She still had thirty minutes, right? No one was supposed to be here yet.

She looked at Draven, but he was looking anywhere but at her. Then he was pulling her along behind him and out of the kitchen.

“Come on. Let’s get the door,” he said, glancing back at her, not bothering to hide his smirk.

He was definitely up to something. Apparently, she was just along for the ride. Passing by the living room on their way to the door, she glanced that way at Daniel and Lucas. They were sprawled out on the floor, each had a video game controller in their hands. She laughed. Daniel had finally found someone willing to play with him. God bless Lucas.

Draven pulled open the door and there was Parker, standing on the porch with a plate of cookies in her hands.

“Parker, hey,” Olivia said. “What are you doing here? You know dinner’s not until six, right?”

Parker looked confused. “Oh, really? Because yesterday Draven said I should be here at 5:30.”

She glanced at Draven. Again, he would not look her in the eye. “He did, did he? Well, isn’t that interesting?”

“Umm, yeah. I guess,” Parker said, clearly still confused. “Can I come in?”

“Oh, right! Sorry. I’m just surprised to see you here early,” she said, sending a pointed look at Draven. He had the good grace to look sheepish, his hand coming to rest against the back of his neck. He was nervous about something.

“It smells amazing in here, Liv. Just like at Rosa’s. Like home and happiness and cheesy goodness,” Parker said as she took off her coat. She had also donned a scarf, hat, and gloves.

The cold weather had officially taken hold. Not that Olivia minded. Today she was finally able to break out one of her fuzziest sweaters and her favorite suede black boots with fur-lined insides. As far as she was concerned, the weather should always be like this.

“Glad to hear it. I would not want to disappoint your abuelita.”

“Oh, you know you could never. She loves you almost as much as she loves me. So, anything I can do to help since I’m apparently a little bit early?”

“I could use some help getting everything into the serving dishes. Come with me to the kitchen.”

“No, wait,” Draven said from where he was standing next to Olivia. “Maybe you could set the table, Parker? Just hold on one second.”

He turned and went into the living room, leaving Parker and Olivia more than confused.

“Is he alright?” Parker whispered.

Olivia shrugged. “I can honestly say I have absolutely no idea.”

When Draven returned a few seconds later, he wasn’t alone. He was dragging a confused-looking Lucas along with him. “Parker, you remember my brother Lucas, right?” he asked her with a smirk.

Parker blushed. “Of course. Hey, Lucas. Nice to see you again so soon. I hope you’re ready to get the third degree from my abuelita.”

“Hey,” Lucas said with an awkward wave, shuffling his feet.

Draven moved to stand next to Olivia again. “I was thinking Lucas could help Parker set the table. What do you think, Liv?”

That sneaky bastard. He was trying to set them up and he didn’t tell her?

She nodded, making sure to keep a smile on her face. My God, subtle Draven James was not. “That sounds like a great idea. Parker, you remember where everything is, don’t you?”

Parker eyed Olivia, probably catching on to said setup. “I remember. Come on, Lucas. We need settings for nine people. Liv, I’ll be having a word with you later.”

Once Olivia was sure the two of them had passed into the kitchen, she rounded on Draven.

“What the hell was that?” she whispered, not wanting everyone else to hear her.

“What do you mean?” Draven asked, hand going again to grab at the back of his neck.

She laughed. “Oh, come on, Draven. You were obviously trying to get the two of them alone. Why didn’t you tell me? I would have been able to help you do it in a much less obvious way. Baby, that had all the subtlety of a wrecking ball.”

“I’m sorry. I panicked. I told Parker to come at 5:30 because I figured she and Lucas would have a chance to talk on their own before everyone else showed up. But I didn’t really have a plan for how I was going to do that.”

“Yeah, you made that pretty clear. Ugh, Parker is going to be so mad at me.”

He grabbed her hand. “You can blame the whole thing on me.”

“You bet your ass that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Although your methods weren’t great, I think getting those two together is an awesome idea. I know you said Lucas might be into her. I’ll keep an eye on Parker tonight and see if she is actually interested in Lucas. Otherwise, there’s really no point to this whole thing. Now come on, matchmaker, we have to get the food ready. We probably have like ten minutes now.”

They recruited Daniel to help dish everything up and between the three of them, they were left with three minutes to spare before the doorbell rang again. They left Parker and Lucas alone in the dining room, hoping to give them as much alone time as possible.

She went to answer the door and was greeted by four concerned faces. Rosa, Janella, Jill, and Malcolm.

“Aye, mijita,” Rosa said, stepping inside and pulling her in for a hug. “Have you heard from Parker? I called her to see if she needed a ride over, but she did not answer her phone.”

“I texted her and never heard back either,” Jill said as she pulled off her coat and scarf. She handed them to Malcolm to hang up with his own coat.

“Oh,” Olivia said, not sure how much to say. If they all knew Lucas and Parker might like each other, they would never hear the end of it. “She’s actually already here. She came a little early to help get everything ready.”

Just then, the sound of Parker’s laughter rang out from the dining room.

Janella smiled. “Well, it sounds like she’s having a good time, whatever she’s doing.”

Another laugh rang out. This time at a lower octave.

Rosa looked around Olivia and towards the dining room. “Who’s that with her? Draven?”

Draven poked his head out from the kitchen. “Someone say my name? Oh, hey, everyone. Hope you’re all hungry,” he said as he held up a dish full of enchiladas.

Everyone looked at Olivia, now with curiosity clear on each of their faces. She sighed. Well, so much for keeping things quiet. “She’s with Lucas, Draven’s brother.”

“Oh,” Jill said, a huge smile breaking onto her face. “That is interesting. Does Parker like him? Does he like her? Come on, Liv. Spill.”

Olivia groaned. “No, Jill. Do not start. Draven tried to subtly get Parker and Lucas alone together, but it was anything but subtle and I don’t think Parker is very happy. Or maybe she is? I’m not one hundred percent sure. But she did not look very happy.”

“She sure sounds happy,” Malcolm said from behind Jill.

Olivia shot him a glare. “Okay fine, maybe she likes him. But please, the guy just got here. We don’t want to scare him off, right?”

Rosa nodded, patting Olivia on the arm. “That’s right, mijita. We promise we’ll be on our best behavior. Isn’t that right, Jill? Janella?” she said, fixing them both with a hard stare.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jill said, face turning a little red.

“Si mama,” Janella mumbled.

She had to hold in her giggle. As nice as Rosa could be, she could also be equally as stern. You did not necessarily want to be on the wrong side of her temper. But it was especially funny to see her semi-scolding her own adult daughter.

Olivia cleared her throat. “Now that that’s all taken care of. Let’s go and eat, everybody.”

They all made their way into the dining room. Parker and Lucas were seated next to each other at the far end of the table, heads bent towards each other, talking quietly. Parker was twirling her hair around her finger.

“Are we interrupting anything?” Jill called out as she entered the room, throwing a wink at Olivia.

That little brat.

Parker and Lucas broke apart, both glancing anywhere but at each other.

Lucas coughed. “Umm, no. We about ready to eat then?”

Draven and Daniel walked in, each carrying a dish. She hurried out to grab the rest, Rosa hot on her heels.

Once they were all set to eat, introductions were made between Lucas and everyone else. He and Malcolm bonded instantly, sharing a love of major league baseball. Rosa kept commenting on Lucas’ impeccable manners, which annoyed Draven to the point where he asked Rosa to give him some pointers. Janella would not stop staring. Every time Lucas interacted with Parker in any way, her whole face would light up. There was no way that Parker and Lucas did not notice. But, if they did, they never let it show.

Olivia felt for them. Although Draven’s first family dinner did involve a lot less staring from Janella and a lot more questions from Rosa. She wasn’t sure what that meant. She would have to ask Rosa what she thought of Lucas the first chance she got, especially if he was going to be involved with her only granddaughter.

All things considered; dinner went off without a hitch. When the night was over and all the leftovers had been handed out, she could only think of how lucky she was to have all of these people in her life.

But as she put the last of the dishes away and then tucked Daniel into bed before coming to stand in her empty bedroom, what she wanted most of all, was to be alone with Draven.

Climbing through Olivia’s bedroom window was not something Draven ever thought he would have to do. But desperate times.

They hadn’t had a night together since the fall festival. Four nights was like an eternity after all that they had been through. Tonight would be the first time they were together since there were no secrets between them. He could finally let go.

He and Olivia had agreed that he would leave and sneak back in when Daniel was asleep. It was important to both of them that he did not have to go through too much change all at once.

“This is really more romantic in books,” he said as he stumbled over the windowsill and into her room.

“Oh, you poor baby. Come here and let me make it better,” she said as she stepped toward him. “Don’t worry about being quiet. I cast a silencing spell on the room. We can hear everything outside, but no one will be able to hear us.”

He smiled. He finally had her alone. He lifted her up, her legs coming to wrap around his. He wanted her as close as possible. He pulled her into his arms and carried her across the bedroom to set her gently on her bed.

She already looked a bit of a mess, her hair wild from the way his fingers had carded through it and he could see that her skin was flushed. His mouth landed on hers and he kissed her soft, sweet lips. She whimpered at the contact, the sound making him ache. He wanted her so badly.

Her nipples made hard little points beneath her thin cotton sleep shirt, leaving little to the imagination. His eyes alternated from this to her face as he reached forward to tease one taut little bud through the fabric.

He curled his body over hers to reach her lips again and she tilted her head back to meet him just as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, savoring the sweet, warm taste of her. Mint and Olivia. So perfect. His fingers inched down her ribs and to the soft curve of her hip to find the hem of her T-shirt. He curled them under the fabric to slowly pull it up and over her head as she raised her arms to help him.

“You’re exquisite,” he breathed against her mouth.

He stared at her bare chest, wanting to take her in for a moment. It had never been like this before, as they’d always had secrets weighing heavily between them. He wanted to savor each moment.

She was all golden-brown skin and dusky pink nipples, waiting and ready to be kissed. There wasn’t one single part of her that he did not want his lips to taste.

He fell to his knees, bringing him eye level to her chest, which made it easy to lean in and capture one little bud between his lips. There was a soft catch of her breath, as her fingers moved through his hair, before she pulled him even closer. He groaned at the way she was so eager for him, making him painfully hard. He teased her with his lips and his tongue and his teeth—his hands curled around her hips to hold her still even as she squirmed from where she was spread out for him on her bed.

A long, low moan escaped her throat when his fingers curled into the waistband of her pajama pants along with her underwear, the sound making his cock twitch inside his now too-tight jeans.

He pulled them both off quickly, leaving her open and exposed to him. His lips moved to her thigh, the wet warmth of her calling out to him. It was so close to where he wanted to be, but not just yet. He let his teeth graze her soft skin gently at first. Then he nipped at her, soothing the burn with the sweep of his tongue.

How far could he push her? How much control was she willing to give him? He wanted to possess every part of her. Make her his in every single way.

He held her gaze as he lowered his head to her waiting heat. Her eyes burned into his, begging, pleading for his mouth. When he took the first lick, she squirmed, already trying to ride his face. He had to hold her hips to the bed as he dipped his tongue inside her, lightly, still only teasing.

“Please, Draven. I need more, please.”

“Shhh,” he breathed out, giving an open-mouthed kiss to her mouth before moving down and giving a small lick to her clit. Her thighs tensed under his palms as he sucked lightly around the slick little bundle of nerves.

She tasted like heaven. Musky and sweet and God, he had missed this. She was intoxicating and dizzying, the taste of her on his tongue driving him wild.

She tilted her hips upward, searching for more of his tongue. She pushed closer, seemingly frantic. Another silent plea for more—and he was happy to give it to her. Glancing up at her flushed face, he could see the way her lip was trapped between her teeth, the way she struggled to keep herself upright as she trembled.

“I want to watch you,” she panted, rising up higher on her elbows.

He watched her as she watched him mouth at her pussy—wet flicks of his tongue and heavy presses of his lips at her clit that had her gasping softly. His eyes burned into hers, daring her to take every ounce of pleasure as he tugged on her clit. Licking it faster and faster as she moaned louder and louder, his name a constant whisper on her lips.

Her back bowed and her mouth fell open, and there was an incessant shifting of her hips like she just couldn’t control her body anymore. She pushed up into his mouth as she begged for more.

“More, Draven. Please, more.”

He imagined doing this again with her thighs straddling his face and her hands gripping the headboard—letting her ride his mouth to take whatever she needed from him until she was dripping her sweet nectar all over his face.

But that would have to wait. He was too desperate right now, too eager to be inside her, to have her warm, wet pussy tight around his aching cock. Would this feeling ever fade—this feeling that he would never get enough of her?

Something told him that would never be the case. He loved her, he wanted her, and he would continue to show her just how much for as long as she would let him.

He circled her slick entrance with a single finger before he slipped it slowly inside—teasing in and out as he hummed at the sweet taste of her, now dripping, as he continued to suck at her clit. She was so wet for him and her panting breaths mingled with the squelch of his finger as he swirled it around and around, bringing her higher with every passing second.

He added another finger, curling them inward to find that secret place he knew would drive her wild, grinding them deeper and deeper until she was all but sobbing.

“Fuck. Fuck, Draven, I’m so close.”

He groaned. “You’re so perfect, Liv. Such a pretty little pussy. Tastes so fucking sweet.”

She whimpered, thighs now shaking on either side of his head, holding him in a vice grip.

But he did not mind it, welcomed it, even, because she contracted around his fingers, gripping them tightly in spasming little squeezes. He circled his tongue around her clit before pulling it in between his teeth to suck hard.

“Draven. Oh God,” she gasped. “Draven, I—”

Her back hit the bed as she started to come, no longer able to support her own weight. He licked her through it, fingers slowly moving in and out to match the canting of her hips. She moaned, her back arching off the bed again, her chest heaving with the effort, her fingers shoved into his hair to try and push him away.

He came away gasping for breath and turned his face to huff against her thigh, leaving a series of wet kisses there, taking a moment to catch his breath.

He left another soft kiss between her legs that had the lips of her pussy twitching under his mouth and then moved on to quickly press another kiss to her thigh, her hip, just under her belly button—climbing up her still-shaking body until he mouthed just under her jaw where her pulse thumped against her skin.

“I love you, Liv. So good for me. So, fucking gorgeous when you come. So good.”

She shivered at his praise, her hands sliding over his shoulders and raking down his back as she turned her face slowly to kiss at his jaw. Her whole body was relaxed under his hands. She looked spent. But he wasn’t done with her yet, not by a long shot.

“Turn over,” he urged her quietly. “Onto your stomach.”

She looked at him for a moment, brow furrowing when he pulled away from her. But he held her gaze unwavering, willing her to put her trust in him. Her eyes darkened the longer she stared until finally she rolled over and glanced back at him from over her shoulder, waiting patiently for what he had planned.

His lips found her lower back, kissing a path up towards her neck as his hands slid around her waist and down her ribs to settle at her hips. He gripped her there tightly and tugged them up and off the mattress, situating her until her ass was high in the air. Her face was still pressed against the sheets.

He moved back a bit to unbutton his jeans, pulling them down along with his underwear to release his throbbing cock. Her ass was in the perfect position to slot himself against her. He took a moment to rub against her, relishing in her quiet whimpers. He wanted her so much.

“Don’t move,” he murmured, pulling fully away from her to remove his jeans and shirt, leaving them in a pile at the foot of her bed.

Then he just stood there, to drink in the way she looked, just waiting for him—ass high, her pussy soft and wet between her legs. He could see her face even from here, wide-eyed, mouth open and panting as she watched him looking at her, her full lower lip trapped between her teeth as he ran a hand over the length of his hard cock.

“Look at you,” he breathed. “Waiting so patiently for my cock.” He gave himself a rough squeeze as her pussy clenched around nothing as if begging for him to fill it. “Do you have any idea how incredible you look right now?”

She squirmed, clearly impatient. “Draven,” she pleaded.

“Shh,” he said as he reached out to squeeze her hip in quiet reassurance. “Stay still for me, baby. I promise I’m going to make you feel so good.”

Another soft whimper escaped her lips, but her hips stilled. But he could tell by the slight tremble of her arms that it was not easy for her. She needed him and it did unspeakable things to him to think how desperately she was trying to do what he asked of her. He did not think anything had ever turned him on more.

She was so damn sweet, he wanted to give her everything and more.

He walked up to the edge of the bed, climbing on behind her. He wrapped his fingers around his cock to give it a few short strokes. Then he fisted himself just under the head and rubbed himself through the slick crease of her, smearing his cock in her fluids as his mouth parted of its own accord, drawing in a sharp rush of air at the hot, wet feel of her.

He dipped the head inside once, then again and then again—slowly, purposefully, as her tight hole stretched around the thick head. A sound of surprise issued from her lips as he thrust to sheathe himself fully inside of her, only to pull back out immediately. A cry of protest left her lips at the loss of contact.

He rubbed a hand down her back to soothe her. “Shh, quiet, Liv,” he admonished softly.

She nodded quickly even as she tried to push back against him.

He choked out a laugh as his hand moved down to her ass to give it a squeeze. “Needy little thing, aren’t you, baby?”

But what he did not say was that he was just as greedy as she was. It was an easy decision to dip back inside her, to fill her entirely with him, his whole body wrapped around hers as if they were the only two people in the world. Her pussy wrapped around him like a glove, snug and wet and warm.

He lingered for only a moment before thrusting into her hard. The force of it sent her body forward. But he had a tight grip on her hip that kept her from going anywhere. She moaned long and loud as her body acclimated to the size of him.

He wrapped his hands around her arms, pulling her upright until her back was flush with his chest so that both of them were up on their knees. “Gonna move now, baby,” he said as he kissed along the curve of her neck.

“Yes. Yes, Draven. Please.”

This time though, it was a slow thrust, in and out of her as one hand curled around her jaw, turning her head so that he could kiss her lips. Their tongues tangled together as he thrust up into her again. It had never been so intense before. The need to take her over the edge burned through his entire body.

He could not say what it was about her, that pushed this side of him out into the light—something that had always been there but not like this, never like this. He could not seem to let go of this urge to claim her, to own every part of her. He didn’t try to because she seemed to enjoy it. But he needed to be sure.

“If this ever gets to be too much for you, you tell me. I promise I’ll stop.”

“Okay,” she panted. “I promise. I trust you, Draven.”

Her words were like a brand on his heart. She trusted him to take care of her and he was going to do just that.

His fingers crept up over her bottom lip to dip inside her mouth. Her lips closed around them to suck softly, offering no protest as he pushed them deeper into her mouth, filling it.

He held them there as his pinky and thumb spread out on either side of her jaw, gripping it tightly. The feeling of her hot wet mouth sucking at his fingers mirrored the way her pussy clenched his cock. From the way she clenched around him, he would guess she was enjoying it just as much as he was.

He kept her just like that when he started to move again, her mouth as full as her pussy—her body held tightly against his as he found a punishing rhythm. His lips mouthed at her shoulder and his hips slapped against her ass as he made short, rough strokes up and into her. Every thrust seemed to hit just a little deeper than the last; the slap of skin on skin filled the air as her loud moans and whimpers reverberated around his fingers still firmly inside her mouth, her tongue swirling around them with every thrust.

“That’s,” he huffed against her throat as he pulled her back further against his cock— “so good. You’re doing,” he growled into her skin when her pussy contracted around him again, “you’re doing so damn good, baby.”

He pulled his fingers from her mouth.

“Yes,” she panted as she lifted her arm to drape it around his neck, winding her fingers in his hair. “Wannabe good for you.”

Her other hand began to snake down between her legs and he quickly batted it away to use his own fingers instead. He found her swollen clit easily, circling it steadily as his lips found her ear.

“You’re so beautiful like this, taking my cock so well. I love you; I love you so much,” he panted into her ear.

She groaned, bringing her lips to his in a searing kiss.

The fingers of his other hand teased at the soft skin of her throat as he quickened the pace of his fingers on her clit; the pressure beginning to build in his cock made it hard to keep a steady rhythm.

“You gonna come for me?” he asked as he bit gently at her shoulder and then immediately licked to soothe the sting. “Can you come on my cock, Liv?”

She nodded, her lashes fluttering closed. He wrapped his wet fingers very gently around her throat—not applying any real pressure but holding her back against him as he drove into her with wild abandon.

“Come on, baby,” he urged quietly, feeling the way she was clamping down on him in short little spasms. “That’s it, come for me, Liv. Want you to fucking come.”

A scream tore from her lips. He could swear he was never more grateful for her magic than in this very moment. Her body shook and her pussy quivered, creating a slick mess between her legs that made him thrust even harder.

His hand found her hip again to grip her there, holding her tight as he drove into her still-trembling warmth with everything he had.

“Olivia,” he called out as he finally tumbled over the edge, his cock seated deep inside her as it twitched to fill her with his spend. His chest heaved against her back as he struggled to catch his breath. It was several long seconds before he was even able to move.

Eventually, he became aware of the mess between their bodies and the uncomfortable feeling of sweat cooling on his skin. He gently lowered her to the bed, planting a quick kiss to her lips before heading to the bathroom to clean himself up.

He returned a few minutes later and waited while she took her turn in the bathroom.

When she got back into bed and under the covers with him, he pulled her into his arms and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. If only he could stay here forever, breathing in the scent of her.

They lay together quietly for a while. It was nice to just be together, feeling no pressure to talk or fill the silence. He’d been caring around so much anger for so long, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d let his mind just go quiet.

It was in this peaceful calm and stillness that a thought occurred to him.

“Liv, do you think my mother had anything to do with our meeting?”

“What do you mean?”

He pushed some hair away from her shoulder and settled in behind her, pulling her close. “I mean, do you think magic played a part in all of it. Like wherever my mom is, she made all of this happen?”

“I don’t know. But I think anything is possible. I mean, how could I not? I am a witch, after all. I think magic can do things without any of us knowing. I mean, there was definitely something in the air the day I first met you. It felt like it was all meant to be.”

He nodded. “I know what you mean. I’d like to think that maybe my mother played a part in all of it.”

“I’m sorry that I never got to meet her.”

“Me too. She would have loved you. Just like I do.”

She smiled back at him, eyes shining brightly with so much love and hope. “I love you too, Draven,” she whispered as she drifted off to sleep. “I love you so much.”