Water Witch (11 page)

“Thank you. Tell me about the desert. How did you live there for so long? I was sure you’d be back a year ago.”

I hid my shock that he’d been keeping track of my movements with another sip from my mug. “I took a lot of baths.”

He laughed at that and leaned back in his chair, expecting more.

“It wasn’t all bad. Inside, all the houses and buildings are air conditioned, and that helps. I kept a humidifier running in my bedroom, and lots of houseplants. Plus when it rains there it
really
rains. I was glad to come home, though.”

“And I was pleased to see you.”

“Okay, tell me.”

He cocked his head at me in confusion. “Tell you what?”

“How you knew about me, how long you’ve been watching me, all that.” I put my mug down on the table, waved my hand in the air, then crossed my arms. I trusted him enough to come here, he could reveal this.

“I’ve known you since we were both young boys. I saw you in my visions. I thought I explained that?”

“You said I was in your visions, and that we were linked. You didn’t say you’d been watching me and keeping track of where I lived.”

He nodded in understanding. “Ah, you are concerned about being my mate. Why do witches have such a problem with that concept?”

“Uh, because it’s ridiculous?”

He laughed at that, a deep belly laugh, his eyes sparkling. “Ridiculous? Tell me, do you know many witches who marry for love?”

“Yes, of course.”

“And how many of those break their binding?”

I thought of all the married couples I knew. Some had been political matches, and those were mostly in open marriages, some not even living together. But the ones who were clearly in love…none ever separated, none had eyes for anyone but their partners.
Fuck
. He might be right. “Well…”

“And how many take new partners if their first love dies?”

Again, I could think of none who had. “Uh…”

“Exactly. It happens between witches, and between Fae. My mother argued I’d be attracted to any water witch, but I think she simply hoped I might find a female. Either way, I never found anyone I wanted more than you. And you have been in my head as long as I can remember.”

“Oh.” Not much I could to say to that. “But then why didn’t I know? I have foresight, too.”

He shrugged. “Who can say? You didn’t want to know? You misinterpreted the signs? You distracted yourself with other men?”

His tone was too easy, the casual attitude forced. “Were you jealous?”

He frowned and lowered his eyebrows, dismissing my question with a little headshake. “Of course not. You didn’t even know me yet then.”

“Hmm. I don’t know, you seem jealous. I mean, you kept track of exactly how long I was out west with Scott.” I watched him carefully as I said Scott’s name, and noticed the wince. I smiled in triumph. “You were jealous.”

“You were meant for me. It was difficult to wait.”

“Why did you wait? Why not stop me from going out there at all?”

“There were several paths that would have brought us to each other, that wasn’t one of them.” He took a sip from his mug, his eyes on me the whole time. “Also…that was a hard time for me.”

“How so?”

“My parents died that summer.” His usually clear voice wavered on the words, and he looked away.

Shit. And here I was teasing him about being jealous. I stood and moved to him, pulling him into my arms. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right. It was their time.”

Damn, if he could say that about his parents why was I having such a hard time letting go of my elderly grandmother? “I’m still sorry.”

“My sweet witch.” He ran his hands up my back. “Thank you.” He snuck one hand under my sweater, and I shivered when his skin touched mine. He didn’t pause, but laid the palm flat on my back, filling me with heat and desire.

“Fuck, Salil.”

“You have a very dirty mouth, witch.” He added his other hand, pulling me close, running his mouth along my cheek.

I tried to come up with a smart retort, but all I could think about was his skin on mine, his lips near my mouth, his scent in my nose. “Fuck.”

I tilted my mouth toward his, craving a kiss, but he leaned into my ear again, whispering, “I’ve dreamed of having you in my bed, Vincenzo. Will you let me take you there?”

I dimly thought I should say no, but I couldn’t remember the reason why. All I wanted was him: his mouth on mine, his naked body against me. “Yes.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

We practically ran up the narrow staircase to his bedroom, which was so perfectly
him
I had to pause at the doorway to take it all in. Light blue silk panels, embroidered with gold thread and beads, covered the windows. A plush white rug softened the wood floor. His bed was small, a double maybe, not quite a queen, but it was piled high with elaborately embellished throw pillows. Candles in glass lanterns hung from the ceiling, unlit but ready, and a stout woodstove sat in an old stone hearth in the corner.

“Let me just light the fire, it gets cold here at night.”

His words startled me, and I pulled my phone from my pocket to check the time. Just after five. We had an hour before sunset, but I supposed it might get dark earlier here in the deep woods. He knelt in front of the stove, piling wood inside, and I took the opportunity to call my mom. By the time she finally answered he’d almost got it lit.

“Hi Mom, I’m um… I’m at Salil’s.” I winced, prepared for a deluge of questions or possibly a scolding, but she just sighed.

“Okay.”

“Okay? That’s it?”

“Yes, Vinny, that’s it. You’re an adult. If you felt he was dangerous, you wouldn’t be there.” She huffed out a breath. “Noni told me she thought you might have a future with him. I didn’t want to believe it then, but I have to respect her insight now. Just be careful. Will you be home tonight?”

I glanced at Salil, who had developed an intense interest in the pile of kindling. “I don’t know. Maybe…not.”

She snorted out a little laugh. “Have fun, sweetie. I love you.”

I hung up, my face warm. I’d never been weird about discussing sex with my mom, but the whole situation was awkward. Could Salil hear her on the other end? Sometimes my cell was louder than I realized. He got up and turned toward me, eyes sparkling, and I knew he’d heard.
Great
.

“That should keep us warm for a while.” He took my hand and led me to his bed, pushing me onto the pile of luxurious pillows. He looked down at me, his eyes intense and his mouth quirked up in a sexy half smile.

All my shame and uncertainty fled, replaced by desire. “Damn. Get down here.” I grabbed the front of his tunic but let go quickly, afraid to damage the delicately embroidered fabric. It was like he had all his clothes handmade for him or something. He smiled and unfastened the buttons of the long blue shirt, letting it drop to the floor before he climbed atop me. Underneath he wore a soft cotton tee, long sleeved and solid black, and against his pale skin it was shockingly beautiful.

“You’re like a one man art exhibit, you know that?”

“Hmm?”

“The things you wear, your hair, the way you move: everything about you is gorgeous.”

He rewarded my praise with a kiss, straddling me and tugging my shirt over my head. I shivered under his gaze. “You’re gorgeous, too, Vincenzo.” He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. “My handsome witch.” He kissed me again, a deep kiss that made my head spin. I arched up against him, pulled at the waistband of his pants, and moaned into his mouth. He wasn’t nearly close enough, and had far too much clothing on. Now that I’d decided to give in to this, I wanted all of him. Immediately.

“Slow down, witch.” He arched away from me, and I whimpered pathetically. I would have been embarrassed, but I’d already shown him my worst. I didn’t have much of a reputation left with him.

“Please.” I wriggled and tried to pull him down to me, but he held his back firm.

“Uh-uh. We did fast last time, remember?” He arched his eyebrow at me. “This time, I will have a bit more control.” He popped the button of my jeans open and worked them down, pulling off my sneakers as well. Then he urged me out of my briefs, so that I was naked on his bed. “Very good. Now get inside the blankets, I don’t want you getting cold.” He jerked his chin in a “go on now” kind of motion, and I smiled as I crawled into the smooth sheets. When I turned, he was staring at me, and I realized he must have got a nice little show when I had turned over. Good, maybe that would get him moving faster.

But he kept things slow, undressing carefully and scooping up all our clothes from the floor. He walked across the room like he was on a fashion runway, and dumped the clothes on a small loveseat. His skin was pale and smooth, his ass small but perfectly shaped. When he walked back, he ran his hand over his hip and grabbed his cock, and I looked up at his eyes, surprised. He’d been watching my face, and I’d been watching his dick swinging with every step.

I wasn’t sorry, though. I bit my lip and brought my eyes back down to his crotch. The hair there was fine and light, darker than the white-blond of his head, but still pale. I’d seen a lot of guys, but never one who was so light all over. Usually blond guys were more golden, he was almost albino. But there were pale gold freckles on his shoulders, the lightest trace of a tan on his forearms, and the dusting of hair on his thighs and lower belly was a soft yellow.

He climbed atop me and pulled the blanket over his back, cocooning us in warmth. His diversion had calmed me down a little, but I was still eager. I wrapped him in my arms, hooking a leg behind his ass and pulling him tight against me. He kissed me, working his tongue inside and swirling it around in a way that might have been ridiculous if it weren’t so sexy.

Skin to skin he felt great, electric almost. I was aware of him with every inch of my body. His knee against mine, his ankle rubbing my calf, his fingers massaging my hip: all of it thrilled me.

I knew now what he’d meant when he’d said there was more than sex between us, that our physical connection held a power. This was far from typical. Normally, I’d be thinking mostly of my dick, or of his. But with Salil, I could almost stay wrapped together like this all night and be satisfied. Almost.

I reached between our bodies and took hold of his hard cock, and for a moment he responded perfectly. He pulled away from my mouth, gasping, and bucked into my hand. Then his eyes flew open and he crooked a mischievous smile at me. “Ah-ah, not so fast.”

Seeing the spark in his eye, hearing the playful dominance in his tone, a thrill raced through me. My gut clenched in response, making my cock bob. He wrapped his long fingers around my wrist and forced my hand to the mattress near my head. The other one he held similarly. I put up a token struggle, and was shocked at the security of his grip.
Goddess, yes, he’s perfect.

“In the water, I wanted you so badly I let you lead us. I let you go fast. This time, witch,” He leaned down to nuzzle my cheek with his nose, “This time we will do things my way.” He pressed closer, and whispered in my ear, “this time you will scream my name to the forest.”

“Holy fuck.” I arched against him and he met my thrust, rocking on me and making my blood sing.
Yes.
Damn, I felt so right with him. “Salil.” I moaned his name to see his reaction, and I wasn’t disappointed. He closed his eyes and his mouth curved open in a blissful smile.

“Say it again,” he demanded, eyes still closed.

“Salil,” I answered, shocked by his dominance. Even now he wasn’t entirely masculine, just strong. And so fucking sexy he filled my entire awareness. He opened his eyes, breathing deeply, and I knew he was as turned on as I was. His silky light hair fell in front of his face, and he tilted his chin to the side in a delicate motion to move it, keeping his eyes on me. My heart pounded and I let out a little moan, wanting more of him.

He released my wrists and lowered his mouth to mine, kissing me deeply as he ground our bodies together. When he broke away I craned my neck up toward him, desperate to retain contact. He smiled and shimmied down my body.

I knew where he was headed, and I wanted it, but I still missed the full body contact his movement cost. But then his mouth was on me, first on my thigh, biting gently on the tenderest part. Moving over, he dragged his tongue along the crease of my leg. Nice, so nice, but it wasn’t enough. I needed him touching me. My skin cooled and shivered without him, my arms felt empty, my mouth dry and wanting. “Salil, please,” I whined pathetically, and he smiled.

He kissed the tip of my cock, licked up and down the length, and the distraction was enough for a moment. But I needed him closer. “Turn around. Let me have you, too.”

He smirked at the request, but complied. As he spun around I slid down the mattress, lining up my mouth with his crotch. His cock pointed down at me, but I ignored it for a moment in favor of his ass. Again I was struck by the paleness of his skin. Even here, he was light, a reminder of his Fae blood.

One hand on either side of his slim ass, I pulled his cheeks apart, and swiped my tongue against his pale pink hole. He arched down in response, laying his body on mine, resting his head on my thigh. I soaked up the contact like a sponge. Continuing the work with my tongue, I reached under to stroke him with my hand, hoping to keep him on me as long as possible.

He tasted of salt, and felt as smooth as ivory.
Mine.
No one had ever felt so right in my arms, no one had driven me this wild. My head was dizzy and my stomach quivered. It felt like falling in love, but came in waves with every touch, and grew more intense with my arousal.

His ass was pliant and ready under my tongue, but he pulled away from me, lay on the bed, and leaned on his hip, tilting his cock up toward me. I accepted the invitation, wrapping my lips around his dick and my arms around his hips. I took him in deep, and worked my throat over the head until I almost gagged. But he was moaning under me, making little whimpering sounds and clawing my thighs, and so I kept going. I sucked and stroked, using every trick I knew to please him.

He felt close, too: his stomach clenched, his thigh muscles bulged, his knees locked out straight. I filled with pride. But then he seemed to rein himself in. His legs relaxed and he let out a deep breath that tickled my balls, then he kissed the tip of my cock.

I arched toward him.

When he finally took me in, I opened my mouth in shock and pulled my lips from him. Holy Goddess, it was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. A swirling of water surrounded me where his mouth should be, but tight, and warm. I wriggled my hips but he held me firm, his mouth locked on me.

“Sal—Oh, Sa—” I closed my eyes and flung my head back.
Fuck, what is this?
Whatever it was, it felt fantastic.

I forced myself to look, and realized it was just his mouth, the waves of water pressure moving up and down in the same rhythm as his head, though I hadn’t felt anything odd when I’d kissed him.

“Salil!” I wouldn’t last long under this assault. I think the only thing that stalled an instant orgasm was my curiosity and surprise about the whole experience.

He dug his fingers into my ass cheeks and kept sucking, holding me tight against him, and I knew then he was right: I was going to scream his name to the forest.

And he would love it. The thought of what his reaction would be when I came and shouted his name pushed me closer to the edge. His mouth with its odd whirlpool action relentlessly sucked me, and his hands kneaded my ass just a little too hard. I sucked in a deep breath and held it. The swirling water grew even tighter around me, and when I felt the top of his tongue through it, rubbing, I let out a yell that turned into “Salil,” and emptied myself into his watery mouth.

He broke away from me laughing, proud, and sat up, watching me recover. I smiled at him, panting, still shaky.

“What was that? That thing you did?”

He ignored my question and climbed on top of me, straddling my chest. His knees bumped under my armpits and he smiled, leaning forward and grasping the headboard, positioning his cock an inch from my mouth.

“Well, I can’t do any fancy tricks.” I warned him. He chuckled and pushed closer.

I took him into my mouth again, and did my best to please him, part of me still wondering about that crazy mouth-whirlpool. Maybe he could teach me to do it? Maybe it was a spell of some kind? He thrust forward and I realized I’d been slacking. I held his ass, thinking if he’d done that to me it might be something he liked, too.

His gasp told me I’d guessed correctly. I dug my fingertips into the smooth flesh, and restricted his movement. I usually used a hand along with my mouth, but he seemed happy with what I was doing, his thighs quivering and his breaths coming jagged and rough.

He didn’t shout my name, or warn me at all of his release, but when my mouth filled with his salty cum I swallowed it anyway. He groaned, “Oh, my witch,” and something in his raspy tone made my stomach flip. He collapsed onto me, sliding back down, wrapping his body around mine.

Skin to skin again, I got that same electric feeling, both a thrill and a comfort.

“How did you do that with your mouth?”

He nuzzled against my collarbone and murmured, “It is like a glamour, but of touch, not vision.”

“Well, it’s pretty fucking awesome.”

He burst out in a deep laugh. “It is.” He kissed me and then pressed his palm to my chest, and the skin beneath it felt as if it was under a shower spray. “See? Just a glamour.”

“Wow.”

He pulled the thick blanket over us, and we slid together for what seemed like minutes, but might have been hours.