Page 54 of Mending Mayhem
“Then take me.” Because I was about to explode with desire.
He pulled away, grabbing my hips and bending me over the bed before tracing his claws down my back. Goosebumps pricked every inch of my skin, and I spread my legs wider, bracing my arms on the mattress as he rubbed his tip against my wet folds.
I moaned, moving my hips toward him to take him inside. A pleasurable ache expanded in my core as he filled me completely, and he reached a human hand around my waist to stroke my clit.
Electricity pinged through my body, setting my nerves ablaze. He slid out until only his tip remained, and again I leaned into him, taking him deeper. Countering my movement, he pushed into me, circling his fingers on my sensitive nub as he ground his hips against me.
A masculine grunt emanated from his chest. He pumped his hips, a taloned hand clutching my shoulder while he rubbed me with human fingers. An orgasm coiled inside me, the delicious friction of his every move sending me closer and closer to the edge until my entire world exploded.
Ecstasy surged through my body, setting my soul on fire. I cried out in pleasure, shouting his name, and he growled, slamming into me three more times before sinking in so deep he penetrated my very being.
He huffed heavy breaths and placed his elbows on the bed, both his hands in their human form. Resting his front against my back, he nuzzled into my neck before pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “Did I hurt you?”
I laughed and turned, craning my neck to see him. “Quite the opposite.”
His eyes and teeth had returned to normal, and with one more heavy breath, he pulled out and collapsed onto the mattress next to me. “You are everything.”
I had no idea what to say to that, so I climbed under the covers and lifted the top of the blanket, inviting him in. He lay on his side, and I snuggled against him as the little spoon, clutching the arm he wrapped around me.
Even more emotions built in the core of my being, pinging off each other and swirling in a messy cyclone inside my soul. None of this was going like I’d planned. It felt as if I’d been hijacked by a person who knew how to feel. The problem was I didn’t know what to do about it.
So I just lay there, staring straight ahead into the darkness and trying not to think about anything.
“I love you, Ember,” he whispered against my hair.
I pretended to be asleep.
18
EMBER
“Do we really think a New York auction house is going to notice if ‘Boyd’ isn’t wearing cowboy boots?” Ash stood in the kitchen, pouring premixed binding spells into a series of small glass bottles. Her hand twitched, and she knocked a bottle over, spilling the contents. “I have got to find out where that New Orleans coven gets their capsules. These bottles make me feel like a boomer.”
“With the heavy accent Mayhem will be laying on them, I think they will.” I pulled up the map app and entered New York City as the destination before adding ‘cowboy boots’ to the search. “There are two places to get them between here and there.”
“Boots aren’t cheap.” She corked the bottles and added them to her bag o’ spells.
I pocketed my phone. “I’m doing what Miles tells us to. We can’t give them any reason to suspect Mayhem isn’t a Texas oil baron who dabbles in occult antiques as his guilty pleasure.”
Chaos rinsed the bowl Ash had used and dried it with a dishtowel. “Is a Texan wearing cowboy attire not equivalent to a Salem witch wearing a pointy hat?”
“Not at all,” Miles said as he stepped through the door. “Boots are as common in Texas as beanies are here.”
Mayhem joined us in the kitchen, fresh from his shower, a lock of damp hair curling onto his forehead. A flitting sensation formed in my stomach, and I brushed the strands into place before they could drip onto his skin.
I’d kept up my charade of not hearing him say he loved me, and thankfully, he hadn’t mentioned it since. I did allow myself the luxury of snuggling into his warm embrace for a while when we woke up. But then we had to face reality and prepare for our scariest mission to date.
Battling beasties I could handle, but humans… Sometimes they were the real monsters, and unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to chop off their heads.
That didn’t mean I had to leave my sword behind. My back scabbard lay on the counter, the blade sheathed in fireproof leather. Mayhem caressed the rosewood handle and traced the texture of the skull pommel.
“Whoever built this weapon for you had the gift of foresight,” he said, tapping the skull for emphasis. “Unless you requested this design. If so, perhaps you have a latent gift.”
A bark of laughter rolled up from my chest. “I wish.” I cleared my throat. “My mom had it forged for me. The creator had free reign in the design.”
“You can’t take weapons inside,” Miles said. “They’ll have metal detectors and a body scanner.”
“I’ll leave her in the van. Is everything set up?”