Page 53 of With All My Haunted Heart

“Really? Xan said this was the only mirror he could find that wasn’t already permanently fixed to a wall.”

Elle lets her gaze rake over my body. “Alex didn’t check my room.”

Understanding flushes through me, and I wipe away the sigils on my skin, silencing the chatter of the ghosts around us. “You said Xander would be out late?”

“We’ll be alone for several hours.” Elle nods toward the open doorway. “Shall we investigate our options?”

“Wait.” I reach for Elle’s wrist before she can turn away. “Let me take care of this first.” With careful, magic-warmed fingers, I remove the sigils from Elle’s forehead and ear, delighting in how she shivers at my touch. “Now we can go.”

I follow Elle upstairs, desire and eagerness overshadowing the tiny thrum of nerves. In all our stolen moments this week, we’ve never had the luxury of both time and a bed. Our first kiss in the kitchen was cut short. After we met the Jennifers and moved them into separate pieces of lepidolite, we made out in the back seat of Elle’s car until my back issues forced us to stop. Making out in the woods again on Wednesday meant we kept everything above the waist, and then yesterday…

Yesterday, I didn’t see her at all, and I’m ready to make up for lost time.

Thirteen days.

After today, there are only thirteen more days until the opening. And then it’s Halloween, and I’ll be moving out, and then—

We reach Elle’s room, and she throws open the door, dragging me inside. She closes it behind us, which leaves me with my back pressed against the wood and Elle’s hips mere inches from my own. She smiles up at me, and though her green eyes no longer glow with my magic, the desire burning in them is beautiful.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” I echo, tipping my forehead to rest against hers. I breathe in her familiar scent, lavender and bakery sweetness and the spice of her cologne.

Elle leans forward to close the gap between us. This kiss feels different than the others. Patient. Thorough. Like we have all the time in the world and she intends to savor every single second of it. The glide of her tongue against mine draws a deep moan from my chest, my body coming alive as those capable, confident hands slip under the hem of my shirt. She slides up my stomach until her thumbs are swiping across the tightened peaks of my breasts.

“Hang on,” I whisper, pressing her back a step. Worry flashes across her face, but then I grip my shirt and yank the offending piece of fabric over my head. “I’m tired of having layers of fabric between us.”

“Oh, thank god,” she moans, removing her shirt and sports bra in one fluid motion. And fuck, Colton was right. Boobs really are great.

I reach for her, fingers skimming across her chest before ultimately settling at her back, pulling her close as she crashes into me. Elle kisses me harder, pulling away to trail kisses along my jaw. “I will always respect your boundaries,” she says between kisses. “But I’m so fucking glad that you want this.”

“So much,” I agree, releasing her to undo the hooks of my bra, and then there’s nothing separating us from the waist up, and the press of skin on skin on skin leaves me hot and wet and wanting. “The bed,” I say, and then we’re stumbling across the room, all roaming hands and searching kisses until Elle pivots and I’m the one who lands on the bed first.

I find myself looking up at her, stunned and altogether smitten by the cocky grin that spreads across her face.

“What?” I ask when she’s still standing above me instead of covering my body with hers like I desperately want.

Elle shakes her head, her smile shifting from cocky to shy. “Nothing. I’m just…I never expected to end up here, you know?” She leans in and kisses me, reaching a hand between us to swirl a finger over my tightening nipple. My body responds to her touch like it was made for this, back arching, a needy whine escaping my lips when she pulls away. “You are a very pleasant surprise, Pippa Ainsley.”

“Happy to keep you on your toes. Or your knees. Whichever.”

Her laughter is a decadent thing. “You want me on my knees?” That cocky smile is back as she reaches for the button of my jeans. “That can be arranged.”

Embarrassment flushes up my cheeks. “Oh, you don’t have to—” But then her fingers are gliding across the heat of my arousal, and I lose the ability to speak.

“ ‘Have to’ isn’t part of this, Pip. I want to.” And then she’s guiding me to lift my hips, removing the last of my clothes. She sinks to her knees before me as I’m realizing this is the first time she’s ever called me Pip. I can barely breathe as she slides her hands up my thighs. With gentle pressure, she spreads my legs, leaving me bare and exposed and feeling so wanted that my heart might burst.

And when she leans in and presses her tongue to the center of that wanting, I’m undone.

“Fuck, Ellie,” I gasp, barely holding myself up with my elbows. The sight of her between my thighs, her face buried against me, is both holy and profane.

She chuckles and goes back to her task, bringing me to the edge and then backing away…over and over and over again, until I’m afraid I might die if she doesn’t let me reach that final peak. “Ellie, please,” I beg when she kisses my thigh just as I reach the cusp again, and this time, thank fucking god, she relents. She presses forward and guides me through wave after wave of release.

When she finally sits back on her heels and smiles up at me, my legs are trembling and my whole body is spent. “Good?” she asks, but there’s no doubt in her voice. She’s clearly pleased with herself, as she should be.

I laugh and lean down to kiss the smirk right off her face, tasting myself on her tongue. “Like you have to ask.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t like the praise.” Elle leans into the kiss before finally joining me on the bed itself.