Page 77 of With All My Haunted Heart

“I wish…” Elle says, panting as I back away for the fourth time, pressing kisses along her thighs to give her space to come down. “I wish you could feel how amazing this is.”

A shiver of possibility draws my gaze to hers. “Actually…I could.”

“Really?”

I nod and work my way back up the bed, pressing kisses along her abdomen, her chest, her jaw, before capturing her lips. “That magic goes beyond physical sensation,” I warn, letting my fingers find the warmth between her thighs, gentle, barely there touches that leave her hips searching for more. “The bond would share every emotion, every desire. You would feel yourself against my tongue as strongly as I would feel the tension coiling inside you, demanding release.”

“Do you have enough magic for that?” She scans my face, worry creasing her brow. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“So you’ve said.” I reach for the magic in the air around us and draw it into my body. It comes willingly, and I rest my fingers along her breastbone. “Do you trust me?”

There’s no hesitation. “Yes.”

I trace the soul-binding sigil across Elle’s chest and then repeat the process against mine. A moment later, I can feel her desire pulsing beneath my skin, nearly overwhelming with its intensity. And beneath that, the steady heartbeat of something that feels suspiciously like love.

Elle sighs, a shuddering sound that I feel echoing in my own lungs. “I can feel how much you want me,” she says, and the note of awe in her voice tugs at my heart. “God, Pip. I…I need to touch you. I need to hold you.”

With my free hand, I pull her shirt the rest of the way off her arms, and then her hands are cupping my face as she drinks me in. Our bodies fit tight together, my arm the only thing wedged between us, my fingers busy at their task, bringing her every pleasure she desires.

And I feel it. The shudder rocking through her body. The tightening of her core echoing inside me as if it were my own.

Her hands fist in my hair, the sting against my scalp drawing a gasp from my throat. Before I can ask her to grip tighter, the bond between us sends the message for me. Her fingers twist in my hair, tipping my head back to nip and suck down the column of my throat.

There’s an emptiness in me—in her—that craves to be filled, and I adjust our positioning, shift my hand until two fingers slide inside her while my thumb keeps attention on the bundle of nerves directing her pleasure.

And then we’re both careening over the edge of a cliff, crashing into dual orgasms that the magic between us amplifies and reflects back at us in a glorious feedback loop. We cling to each other like life rafts in a storm, neither of us loosening our hold as the soul bond fizzles away.

We don’t speak for a long time. Eventually, I slip my arm from between us and shift to the side, pulling her with me. Our bodies prickle with cold as the chill of the late hour settles over us. Forehead pressed against mine, Elle sighs with such deep contentment that a thrill of pride washes through me.

She chuckles, pulling away to meet my eye. “How do witches get anything done when you can have sex like that?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never used that sigil before,” I admit, and I can feel the moment Elle’s surprise turns into a deeply satisfied type of appreciation. “It takes a level of vulnerability…it’s not something I’ve felt safe enough to try before.”

Elle’s green eyes shine bright in the half-light of the moon that gently illuminates the room. “I feel safe with you, too.” She leans in and kisses me softly, meaningfully, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I love this woman. That no matter what happens after tomorrow, she has my whole entire heart.

And maybe, just maybe, she feels the same.

“Will you stay?” I whisper, my fingers making a lazy trail up her spine. “I don’t want to watch you leave.”

A playful smile quirks up the corner of her mouth. “As long as I get to be the big spoon.” She shivers. “And we get under the covers.”

I laugh. “We should clean up first.” Leaning in, I press a kiss to the tip of her nose. “But the rest can absolutely be arranged.”

Chapter

Twenty-Three

The first thing I notice when I wake is the warmth at my back and the gentle weight draped over my hip.

Memories of last night wash through me, like sinking into the perfect hot bath, and I resist the urge to snuggle closer against Elle. I don’t want to wake her up. Don’t want to disturb the perfect stillness of this moment. I want to linger here for as long as possible. I want to soak up the possessive way she clings to me in her sleep.

Because it’s finally Halloween. The grand opening of Midnight Manor is mere hours away. Soon, the B&B will be a flurry of activity. While Xander and Elle finalize their prep, I’ll be packing to leave. Mornings like this won’t happen every day.

If they happen at all.

Elle stirs in her sleep, tightening her hold around my waist, and I push the worried thought away. I’m done assuming the worst. Elle likes me. She wants this to extend beyond today as much as I do. For the first time in a long time, I’m willing to be brave. To have hope. To—

A loud, rhythmic knocking cuts off my thoughts. “Rise and shine, Pippa!” Xander’s cheerful voice on the other side of the door is loud and very awake. I fumble for the side table, cursing when I see the time. It’s way later than I thought.