Willow: June (10 page)

S
trolling through the field
, Willow felt like a queen. She had a hot man on her arm that made her head spin, and the confidence that went with it, at least on the outside. She had always wondered what it would feel like to be the one with him. Receive the jealous looks from other women, and a few men. Granted, some of those looks held a bit more than the green-eyed monster. There was pure hatred and possibly vengeance, but she chose to ignore those spiteful bitches. Because being with Cedric felt wonderful, she was happy and maybe even loved.

There was a part of her that refused to believe what their relationship turned into, if she could even define it. He was no longer her nemesis, the boy who taunted and teased her through the years. He was the man she looked forward to seeing every day. The one she found her thoughts drifting to when he was away. The man in her dreams when she closed her eyes at night, all while missing him by her side.

The moonstone around her neck pulsed with steady heat. She was convinced more than ever it responded to Cedric, but she also wondered if it was the only reason he was with her. His change of heart when it came to her was…abrupt. At least that was how it seemed to her.

Cedric squeezed her hand, grabbing her attention. He leaned down and kissed her, sending a flutter through her belly. That light, butterfly kiss made her want to forget making an appearance. All her thoughts centered on heading to her place and crawling back in bed with him.

Who would have known she’d turn into a nymph? How she would need him every moment of the day. She chuckled lightly, drawing a raised eyebrow from him. She shook her head, “It’s nothing.”

He snorted, “I doubt that.”

They stopped in front of the Transfiguration demonstration. Other witches and warlocks milled around, waiting to see what would happen. The skill to perform the magic to change something from an object to a creature or a creature to a human was high. Not many in the coven had it.

There were some not-so strict rules on transfiguration magic. The community at large frowned upon people doing it in the hopes of disguising their features or changing in order to deceive. Teenage girls practiced the art in order to enhance their features to entice the boys they liked. Teenage boys did it to look better or bigger than they really were. Typical events most got over once it backfired in their faces. But progressing into adulthood, it was considered a bit more taboo. The only ones allowed to alter someone else’s image were witches and warlocks working for law enforcement.

Hazel, the witch Willow worked with on the planning committee stepped up and pulled a black velvet curtain aside to reveal different objects: A cup, a bowl, a bird, and a rabbit. The basic items all of them had worked with at one time or another when learning the different aspects of their craft.

She started her spiel, explaining what she was going to do to each item, then one by one transformed them into something different. The cup turned into a bowl. The bowl into a bucket. Simple things for simple tasks. When a man joined her, a large warlock with long black hair and dark piercing eyes, the women in the crowd perked up and pushed forward.

He scanned the crowd, and when his eyes landed on Willow, she couldn’t help but fidget in place. Cedric looked down at her, and she knew he was wondering what her problem was.

She really didn’t have an answer. There was something about him; a familiarity, but she didn’t know him. Had never seen him before. The man’s gaze turned fierce, his eyes narrowed and a glimmer of vibrant purple sparked in them. Her head reeled when her first thought was of Edward, her familiar. It couldn’t be him, could it? She left him at home curled up on the back of the couch.

The man moved over to Hazel and whispered in her ear before stepping into the crowd. He made his way toward Willow, the people around them parting before he even got close to pushing his way through.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, goosebumps skittered across her skin. The mysterious man stopped in front of them and looked at Cedric, then to Willow. He reached out and touched the stone around her neck. Ice shot through her, chilling her to the bone.

She stepped back on a gasp, her hand coming out of Cedric’s. He turned toward her, brows furrowed and confused. “What the hell is going on?” He asked, and turned back toward the man.

“She is wearing a moonstone,” the man rumbled. His deep voice vibrated through her body and shook the ground beneath her feet.

Cedric stepped in front of her in a protective manner. “What of it?”

“You know she is looking for love? Someone to spend the rest of eternity with?”

Cedric nodded sharply. His body tensed, instinct told her to step forward to rest her hand on his back. “I know what she’s looking for,” Cedric said, a thread of steel weaving though his voice.

“And you think you can give it to her?” The man chuckled low and deadly. People moved away from him.

She peeked around Cedric’s body to see the man’s eyes light up with the vibrant purple again, this time consuming his irises. Sparks of electricity crackled from his hands.

“I can give her everything she’s ever wanted. I
am
everything she’s ever wanted.” Cedric’s hands balled into fists and began to glow. The spheres of lights grew brighter and brighter, creeping up his arms. She knew his main power was current and lightning.

The man wasn’t intimidated in the least by the show of power. He cocked his head, narrowing his gaze. “When you touch her, what do you feel? Does fire burst through your veins? Does the moonstone glow?”

“It doesn’t matter what I feel,” Cedric replied.

“When I touched her, it was like ice, shards of pain and cold enough to freeze a person’s heart. She is not meant for me.”

“You were never an option.”

A slight smile curled the man’s lips. “But that isn’t what you thought the first time we met.”

Willow stepped out from behind Cedric, intent on confronting the man. She’d never seen him before, and she didn’t think Cedric had either. He appeared as wary as she was. “Whoa there.”

Cedric stuck his arm out, holding her back. Willow wanted to walk up to the man and look directly into his eyes. See for herself if he was telling the truth.

“The first time we met? I’ve never seen you before in my life,” Cedric said, confirming what she thought. He curved his hand around her hip and pulled her closer to him.

Her body brushed up against his, setting the moonstone on fire. She moaned softly as wisps of sensual heat licked over her skin.

One of the man’s dark eyebrows rose, and Cedric turned his head in her direction. He looked to be as shocked as she felt that the sound escaped. A slow blush heated her cheeks, and she resisted covering them, aware she would draw more attention that way.

“Heat. She feels heat whisk through her blood at your touch. The kind only a lover can produce.” The man’s grin grew wide. “That is as it should be.” He turned abruptly and headed back to Hazel. As he walked toward her, his body morphed, twisting and reshaping gracefully into a black cat.

Willow’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit! It
is
Edward.”

The cat cast a glance in her direction and flicked its tail. He vaulted into Hazel’s arms, to the surprise of everyone around them. His deep rumbling purr could be heard from a distance.

The crowd around them started to clap. Hazel curtsied and pulled the velvet curtain back down, disappearing before Willow’s brain processed what the hell had just happened.

“How about we go home?” Cedric asked, draping an arm over her shoulders.

“Yeah, I think I’ve had enough fun tonight.”

They walked away, heading back to where Cedric’s SUV was parked. Her mind was too full to really get a handle on what that little show was about. Had her cat really been a man? Did he give his approval of Cedric? Was he even coming home? The questions came one right after another. More followed.

“That was one hell of a transfiguration demonstration,” Cedric quipped.

It was the perfect thing for him to say. She laughed and relaxed into him.

C
edric got
Willow home and stripped her of her jeans and shirt. He left her lacy panties and matching bra on; loving the way it looked against her skin. And the way it abraded his. Though, that wasn’t what he had in mind at the moment.

“Don’t move or speak unless I tell you,” he rumbled next to her ear. He wanted her standing at the end of the bed, facing away from him. He kneaded her stiff shoulders. Ran his thumbs down her neck. Inch by inch, he made his way down her body, her body relaxing into his ministrations. Firm hands and light kisses. With a flick of the wrist, her bra came undone. He pushed the straps off her shoulders, and ran his hands under her arms, peeling the lace from her breasts. The garment dropped to the floor in front of her.

Cupping her breasts with his hands, he lifted them, squeezed them, and pinched her nipples. A soft moan escaped the back of her throat full of needy arousal and want. Flicking his nails over the buds, he didn’t stop until they tightened. She squirmed and shifted from foot to foot.

He leaned in and nipped her neck. “Uh, uh, uh. Good girls know to stand still like they were told. That’s the only way they’ll get more. You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Willow?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

His cock jumped in his jeans, making him wince in pain. His whole reason for keeping the damn things on was because Willow had had a bit of a shock at the celebration, and he wasn’t quite sure what was going through her mind. He could barely wrap his head around the fact that her familiar wasn’t a familiar after all. A small part of him wondered if the cat had been able to transfigure all along, or if it was because Cedric allowed him to siphon power from him. Or, maybe it was because Cedric and Willow were meant to be, and now that they were together, he was no longer needed. Too many questions with no answers in the foreseeable future. There would be time to figure that out later. Right now, he wanted to concentrate on the woman in front of him.

Sliding his hands down her sides and up her back, he massaged her tight muscles. As he got lower, her breathing picked up. When he reached the small of her back, he knelt behind her. He slid his thumbs under the waistband of her panties, gliding them back and forth. Lower and lower. He worked his way to the sides, hooking his thumbs and dragging them down her legs. He showered kisses over her buttocks, down her firm, rounded skin, and nipped the bottom where it met her thigh.

She squeaked but stayed her ground.

“Step,” he instructed, pulling the panties off one foot then the other, dropping them on top of the forgotten bra.

Skimming back up her legs with his hands, he stood, skating his hands over her ass, and then pressed on the small of her back, pushing her forward. “Put your hands on the end of the bed. Spread your legs.”

She adjusted her stance and popped up on her tiptoes.

“Damn, you’re beautiful.” He grabbed her by the hips and stepped up behind her, grinding his rigid jean-covered cock against he naked pussy. Fuck, it felt good. The rough fabric doing a number on both of them. Willow’s head dropped lower as she pushed back against him. She rocked in tiny increments up and down his length. If he wasn’t so intent on making it all about Willow relaxing, he would unzip his pants, whip out his dick, and ram into her in one thrust. Quick, hard, and deep. He wouldn’t stop fucking her until he came inside. Shoving in as far as he could get.

Forcing himself to take a step back, he dropped to his knees. Every inch of her pretty pink pussy was on display. He breathed in deep, allowing her sweet arousal to fill his lungs. Damn, her lust was intoxicating. He was driven to taste her. To feast on her flesh and drink her in.

He licked her slit from one end to the other. Swirling his tongue into her opening. He fucked her with it, then started all over again. Lick. Fuck. Lick. Fuck.

She whimpered and her legs began to shake. Finding her nub with his tongue he concentrated on it. Tonguing it. Sucking it. Then doing it again and again. She was getting close to coming and he wanted to feel the first fall. Easing one finger inside, he thrust it in and out. She started pumping her hips, taking more and more of his digit. Her moans and whimpers turned to grunts and mewls. Adding a second digit, he increased the thrust and clamped his lips around her clit, sucking it hard.

She cried out, her pussy rippling and convulsing against his fingers. The muscles locked down in a bid to keep him embedded inside her.

Fuck, it was an overwhelming feeling.

He stood and ran a hand over her ass, pressing down on her lower back. He wanted her to stay in that position. With his other hand, he undid his jeans and zipper, shoving the pants down as far as he could.

His cock bobbed, and the feeling of freedom had his balls tingling. He pumped his dick a couple times, a bead of pre-cum escaping the tip. He guided it to her wet entrance, circling the outside with the head, lubing it slightly. He pushed in and she pushed back. He slid in deeper, basking in the excruciating slowness of their joining. The tight walls of her pussy sucking him in.