Chapter 14

I ris woke up the next day and smiled to see she was lying in Lynx's bed wrapped in his arms. Seeing she was awake, he gave her a kiss on her forehead, making her smile even more.

‘Thank you for a lovely date last night.'

He stroked her hair. ‘You are very welcome. I had so much fun and not just because we ended up swimming with sharks and dolphins. I love spending time with you. We just click in a way I've never had with anyone before.'

‘I feel the same.' She looked up at him and she knew she was falling hard for this man. There was a part of her that wanted to hold back. She'd loved and been hurt before and didn't want to get hurt again, especially after Christopher's betrayal. And there was a part that just wasn't ready for marriage and babies yet, but there was a bigger part that wanted to go all in and not worry about any of that, to just enjoy it.

‘Why don't you come here tonight and I'll cook you dinner?'

She slid a finger along his chest. ‘And dessert.'

He grinned. ‘I would love that but we don't have to rush into anything. I can walk you home and have you tucked up in your own bed alone by ten o'clock, or we can do this again. Just sleep together.'

‘I like this.'

‘I do too. I've never just slept in the same bed as a woman before. I enjoyed it.'

She smiled and leaned up and kissed him and it was the sweetest kiss he gave her back: slow, gentle, loving. She knew she wanted to take that step with him.

She suddenly pulled back. ‘Oh no, I can't, I promised Erin I would go to potions club tonight.'

‘That's OK, you can always come round after, to sleep, or for whatever you want.'

She smiled. ‘I choose, "whatever I want",' she said, meaningfully.

‘Don't, I'll never get through the day knowing that's waiting for me at the end of it.'

She kissed him, trailing her hand down across his stomach towards the waistband of his shorts.

His phone buzzed with his alarm.

‘Sorry, I'll turn it off.'

She looked at the time. ‘No, it's OK. It's opening day for my shop, I need to get there and get ready.'

She gave him another brief kiss, then got up.

‘You could always have a shower here,' Lynx said.

‘Thanks but my clothes are at home and my nan will probably be wondering where I am, although she knows I'm with you so she won't be worried.'

‘And what about Morag?' Lynx said.

She looked at him curiously. ‘Did she say something to you?'

‘She came round the other night to give me the third degree.'

Iris laughed. ‘Of course she did. I am sorry about her.'

‘It's no bother and you'll be pleased to know I think I got fox approval.'

Iris smiled. ‘You could charm the birds from the trees.' She leaned over to give him another kiss. ‘I'll see you at work.'

She left him looking very happy with himself and she walked out of his house with the biggest smile on her face.

Iris let out a little huff of breath. She hadn't stopped working all morning. Word had clearly spread that there was a new shop open on Stardust Street and what felt like the whole village had turned out to see what she had. And while not everyone had bought something, they'd all been really supportive and enthusiastic about her jewellery. Although some people had blatantly been more interested in her than the jewellery; they'd clearly come just to meet the new girl. No one else had guessed she was a kelpie but some were curious about where she'd come from and her magical abilities, perhaps sensing she was different to them. But no one had been judgemental or mean to her, everyone had been very welcoming.

She heard footsteps on the stairs and she smiled, ready to welcome another customer. After a few moments Zofia appeared.

‘Hello, just thought I'd come and see how you're getting on now the shop is open.'

Iris smirked. Zofia was clearly trying to keep to her promise of not interfering, but she was obviously desperate to know how the date had gone the night before. Iris was surprised Lynx had let his grandmother come up here, unless she'd managed to sneak past him without him noticing.

‘That's very kind of you,' Iris said. ‘It's going well. I've had lots of customers, made lots of sales. I'm going to have to make some more jewellery this afternoon to replenish my stock.'

‘Well that's great news.'

There was an awkward pause while Zofia battled with the real reason she was here and Iris wondered how long she could drag out her torture before she put her out of her misery and told her how spectacular the date was and how happy she and Lynx were together. But then would come all the questions about when they planned to get married and when they should have children and she wasn't ready for that yet. Maybe she should enjoy the peace for a few more days.

She heard the shop door open downstairs and Lynx calling hello to Storm. A few seconds later she heard footsteps stomping up the stairs and then Storm appeared in the shop carrying a bunch of flowers. This couldn't have gone any better if she'd planned it. She was pretty sure the flowers weren't for her, and if they were they were only platonic, but this just backed up what Iris and Lynx had been saying the night before and Iris decided to run with it.

‘Storm, hello,' she gave him a big, warm smile, possibly a bit too big. She wondered if a hug would be too much and suppressed a snort of laughter. She imagined it would be way too much for the quiet, withdrawn Storm who was only just venturing out of his shell.

Zofia stared at Storm and the flowers in horror. ‘I don't understand, this isn't what I've seen.' She shook her head in despair and left. Iris nearly felt sorry for her.

Storm put the flowers down on the counter; clearly they weren't for her. ‘What's up with her?'

‘She's getting annoyed because her interference in our love life isn't going according to plan.'

‘Ah, you've got to love a meddling grandparent. I just wanted to pop by and wish you luck for the opening.' He looked around. ‘This place looks great, and the jewellery is beautiful. Amelia would have loved them. She used to make a star like this for the top of our Yule tree every year.' His voice caught and he swallowed a lump in his throat. ‘It's our anniversary today, she loved sunflowers so it seemed fitting to buy these for her today.' He nodded to the flowers.

‘They're beautiful. I'm sure she would have loved them,' Iris said, her heart breaking for him. He was clearly still deeply in love with his wife and she guessed he probably always would be.

‘I also wanted to say, I've been watching the news and I've seen all the stuff with the stolen locket and your name getting bandied about a lot. I don't understand what went on there but if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know.'

‘What happened is my ex-boyfriend, Christopher, the asshole victim in all the news stories, drugged my nan's tea and stole that locket from her neck while we were still dating, and then put it in that exhibition where I stole it back. I have no idea whether the multi-million-pound value is really what it's worth, or whether the stones on the outside are really as precious as he's making them out to be. Diamonds, sapphires, jadeite, seems a little unrealistic to me. But if it's true, or at least if others believed it was true, it would have made him a multi-millionaire and so you can imagine how angry he is about losing it. He brought a gun to the exhibition to try and stop me taking it and now I'm worried for my nan's safety, which is why we're here.'

‘Wow, what a mess.'

Iris nodded. ‘And now Ashley believes there is something dark inside the locket and I just don't know what Christopher could have done to it to make her feel that way. Lynx wonders if he might have employed a witch to put a protective spell or curse on it. I just hate the thought that our family locket could have brought something dangerous to the village.'

‘I'm sure Ashley will find a way to get rid of it or diffuse it. There isn't a spell or potion she doesn't know. And Wolf and Lynx are powerful witches, whatever it is they'll be able to control or destroy it.'

Iris nodded and sighed. ‘I know. But I also know Christopher. He isn't going to stop looking for the locket. The police may give up and stop looking at some point but he won't. If he comes here—'

‘If he comes here I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget.' Storm looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Actually, if he did come here we could easily make him forget.'

She thought about that for a moment. Memory modification was not something she could do, but she was damn sure one of the witches in the village could. ‘That's not a bad idea. Although I'd prefer it if he never came here at all.'

‘I'm sure he wouldn't be that hard to find.'

The thought of seeing her ex-boyfriend again turned her stomach but it was an option. Iris couldn't do anything about the countless numbers of police who were involved in the investigation, but if she could discredit Christopher somehow and make them lose interest in the locket, then she could take care of Christopher once and for all. Maybe she needed to take back control of her life, not hide out here for the rest of it. She knew she had to wait and see what was inside the locket and deal with that first, but then she was going to come up with a plan. And if it included revenge, even better.

Iris looked round her shop with a smile. She had sold almost half of her stock that day. She knew that not every day would be like this, and it was only because it was her opening day that it had been so successful, but she was still really pleased.

She heard Lynx come upstairs. He'd called up a few minutes before to say he was closing up, so she knew it would be him.

‘That's it, your first day is over,' Lynx said, appearing with two fabulous-looking cocktails, with sparklers sticking out of slices of pineapple. She laughed, they were very over the top.

‘Erin sent these over, she's trialling some new cocktails for the summer solstice. This is called Firework Fury. These are non-alcoholic, but I felt like we needed something to celebrate.'

She took the glass he offered her which was fizzing with gold and red. Once the sparkler went out, she clinked her glass against his and took a sip. It tasted like sparkling pineapple, it was delicious.

‘Have you enjoyed running a shop today?' Lynx asked. ‘I know it's a bit different to just doing online sales.'

‘I've loved it. I've never been a people person but I've really enjoyed chatting with all the customers. I hope me being upstairs hasn't taken away too much of your custom though.'

‘On the contrary, I've had the best day I've had in a long time thanks to you. I think we make a good team.'

Iris watched him, remembering the promise she'd all but given him that morning. ‘Yeah we do, and I think we can celebrate a bit better than this.'

‘What did you have in mind?'

‘I think we should go for a swim in the pool and make fireworks of our own.'

Lynx stared at her for a second, then took the drink off her, placing them both down on the counter, before grabbing her hand and marching down the stairs and out of the shop. He waved his hand to lock the shop behind them and walked quickly down the road. She giggled at his haste.

They were soon in the woods, racing along the path. She pulled him to a stop and reached up and kissed him hard, sliding her hands round the back of his neck. She laughed when he bent down and scooped her up in his arms. He carried on along the path, still kissing her until they reached the pool, sheltered under a canopy of green.

He placed her feet back on the floor, cupping her face and kissing her again. He pulled back slightly and clicked his fingers and a blanket appeared in his hand, which he tossed on the floor. He clicked his fingers again and a box of condoms appeared.

She laughed. ‘A whole box.'

‘I'm just being prepared.'

‘Actually, I'm on the pill and I had a health check after that arsehole betrayed me.'

He stared at her. ‘I had one too, a few weeks ago. I'm clean.'

She gave him a little nod and he clicked his fingers once more. The condoms vanished and she reached up and kissed him again. He let out a noise that sounded like a growl at the back of his throat. She stepped back, got quickly undressed, keeping her eyes on him the whole time as he watched her. As soon as she was naked he reached for her but she let out a laugh and dived into the water to avoid him.

She surfaced and watched him trying to get his clothes off as quick as possible and then he was wading out to join her, gloriously and spectacularly naked. She stood up in front of him, tracing her wet fingers over his warm chest as he stared at her, his eyes filled with emotions she couldn't read. Then he bent his head and kissed her hard. He lifted her and she wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close as the kiss continued. She felt him move through the water and he sat her down on the edge of the pool and stepped back.

‘You said, that if you won the competition, you wanted me to kiss your feet.'

‘I have no idea if I won or not.'

‘Right now, I feel like I've won, and I want you to feel that way too.'

‘I already do. And you said you weren't a foot man.'

‘Oh, I could definitely be a foot man when it comes to you, or a breast man,' he placed a gentle kiss on her breast. ‘Or a stomach man,' he kissed her stomach. ‘Or a thigh man.' She smiled as he kissed her thigh. ‘But let's start with the feet. We didn't discuss how many kisses or how long I should kiss your feet for, so when you think I've delivered your prize, you just tell me to stop.'

She nodded, suddenly nervous. He was looking at her as if he wanted to eat her.

Lynx took one foot in his hand and her heart leapt at his gentle touch. With his eyes firmly on hers, he kissed the arch of her foot. The feel of his lips on her skin made her stomach clench with need.

He stroked a hand gently up her leg as he moved his mouth towards her ankle. She let out a soft gasp. It felt so good. He shifted to her other foot, kissing below her ankle and just above it, then trailing his hot mouth slightly higher. She let out a shuddery breath as he continued upward, slowly moving up her calf, then kissing the inside of her knee. He didn't take his eyes off hers for a second as he kissed slowly up her inner thigh. Need for him coiled in her stomach, her breath heavy as she watched him reach the top of her legs.

He gently pushed her legs apart and she let out a heavy breath as he kissed her right there between her legs.

‘Dear Gods, Lynx,' she ran her hand through his hair. It was as if he had known her body for years. His touch was so familiar and confident, he knew exactly what to do to make her go weak. There was none of that fumbling around that she'd had with a new partner in the past, trying to find what the other one liked, he instinctively knew and he was driving her crazy. He clearly wasn't in the mood to make this quick either. That feeling kept on building, driving her to the very edge, and then he'd kiss her thigh or her stomach until it started to ebb away and then he was relentless in building it back up again until she was desperate for that release.

‘Lynx, please, I need…'

She felt him smile against her, obviously relishing in her torture. But then the sensation tightened in her stomach, spreading out to every part of her body and exploding through her so fast and hard she could barely catch her breath. Yet still he was relentless, wringing out every ounce of pleasure from her.

He stepped back. ‘Have you had enough?'

She shook her head. ‘No, I want more.'

‘How much more?'

She reached for him under the water and her eyes widened in shock. ‘A whole lot more apparently.'

He laughed.

She ran her hands across his chest, tracing the curves of his body. ‘You're so beautiful.'

‘I was just going to say the same thing. You are the most incredible woman I've ever met.'

He gathered her legs around him, kissing her hard, and moved inside her, making her gasp. It was both too much and not enough, this overwhelming feeling of this being where she belonged, here with him. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close, sliding her hand up to his hair and making him groan against her lips. Every touch, every stroke, every movement was perfect, as if he'd been made just for her. He pulled back to look at her, his breath heavy on her lips, staring right into her eyes, and she felt something pass between them, something so much more than she expected. She stroked his face and he smiled.

Suddenly she felt the moment their magic collided like the force of a tsunami, relentless, unstoppable, powerful, and completely beautiful. A glow surrounded them, blue interwoven with gold. It was like swimming underwater on a summer's day, the sunlight dappling through the water, creating rays of light around her. The woods, the pool, the rest of the world, faded away, there was just the two of them in this blue and gold cocoon, as if they were floating in the water. It was utterly blissful.

Lynx kissed her again, then moved his mouth to her throat and she felt her need building for him, filling her, her body spiralling with pleasure, as Lynx took her higher and higher, the golden-blue light around them getting brighter. For a moment it really did feel like they were floating. She clung onto him as he took her over the edge and she felt him fall too, saying her name like a mantra as he fell apart around her.

He kissed her softly, stroking her hair as the blue and gold glow slowly faded away. She stroked his face. ‘That was incredible. I've never felt that way before when I've been with a man.'

‘That was without doubt the best sex I've ever had in my life,' Lynx said.

She grinned. ‘Well, you definitely delivered on my prize. And now I know why you were so confident about me being friends with Storm.'

‘Ah, just what every man wants to hear. Another man's name mentioned a few moments after sex.'

She laughed. ‘I just meant that, after that, there's no way I could ever look at another man again. You've ruined me.'

He laughed. ‘I should hope so.' He gave her a kiss on the forehead. ‘We belong together. Come on, I need to feed you after that.'

He carefully stepped back, out of her arms, and she enjoyed watching him walk out of the pool naked to where his clothes had been scattered.

He was right, they did belong together and that fact didn't scare her anymore. The reason she could never look at another man was because she was pretty sure she was falling in love with Lynx Oakwood.