Magic and Mayhem: When You Witch Upon A Star (Kindle Worlds Novella) (7 page)

Chapter Twelve

T
here was no denying it now. Rollan had romance on the mind and I had nothing to lose by bumping things up a notch between us. The perfect opportunity came when we passed through the shade of a tree.

I stopped in my tracks, guiding him to face me with a tug on his hand. “Hey, so it seems you might be thinking it would be fun to spend the summer together. Am I right?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Romance? Is that what you’re hoping for?”

“No, not hoping. Trying.”

I put my arms up around his back, feeling sassy. “I don’t know. What if you were to kiss me sometime and I find out you’re a lousy kisser? That would be a pretty sucky summer romance.”

“The French invented kissing.” Rollan was like a magician. One minute he was talking and the next minute his lips were on mine. His hands swept up my back. Cradling my head with one hand, his tongue lightly darted between my open lips.

The way he worked his tongue, enticing mine to join in a dance, was truly sexual. People might describe a kiss as passionate, but that kiss… Oh my God. That kiss was an incredible sex act.

Breaking free, he sighed. “And was that such a lousy kiss?”

My lips trembled, my chest heaved, and my heart pounded. I was incredibly turned on. “Oh. My. God. Rollan! If that’s just a kiss, you are not stopping now.”

Recreating a scene you might see on Discovery Channel, I pounced on Rollan like a lioness taking down an antelope. We tumbled into a patch of tall grass under the tree.

I was on top of him, face to face. I’d taken charge, but without any experience to go by, I decided to let my impulses guide me. I paused, taking in the feeling of him under me and looking him in the eyes. Then I kissed him the way he had kissed me. I moved to his neck, tasting him, licking him.

Lost in the moment as I was, the sound of rustling grass and snapping twigs didn’t register right away. Convinced Gina was still prowling around, I dismissed it.

Straddling him, I worked my way through the buttons of his shirt. Every time I shifted my hips, I could feel the bulge in his jeans press against the sheer fabric of my panties. Thanking God I’d chosen to wear a dress, I rocked rhythmically against him.

I was willing to take things all the way, but without protection I would settle for anything and everything, short of losing my virginity. Hell, I’d read through those Cosmo articles and learned a few things myself.

Something brushed my leg. Fur.

Fur!

A quick, alarmed glance was all it took to see the distinct pattern of a raccoon’s tail flickering across my calf. For the first time in my life, I was exploring the wonderful new world of sex with the hottest guy I’d ever seen. It would be just my luck for him to vanish. Poof! Hot guy turns into raccoon and scampers away.

Pressing my hand down on his chest, I begged, “No—no, no, no. Please not yet. Don’t shift! Not now, Rollan! Try to hold off!”

“Strange Chicago slang? Don’t worry, I can last.”

Something new touched my leg. It reminded me of a cat’s nose. When I turned my head to look, everything shut down. It was a raccoon—a real raccoon—and it wasn’t Rollan.

“Jessica, it’s a raccoon. Don’t move. As long as we don’t frighten it, we’ll be fine. Unless it has rabies.”

We sat there frozen, statues of lovers discarded on the side of a lonely road. The raccoon nosed around us for two or three minutes before turning away. I thought about asking Rollan if it was anyone he knew.

“Would you like to go to my place?” Rollan suggested.

Now, sometimes it pays to think about exactly what you’re going to say and give the words a test run in your head. This was one of those times.

The voice in my head practiced what I’d say.
“Your place? We both know what we’ll be doing, but I must tell you two important things. One, I’m a virgin. Really. I’d appreciate you not being all freaked out about it or saying things like ‘I don’t want to be your first.’ Two, I’m allergic to birth control pills. So unless you have condoms, things can go pretty far, but not all the way. On the other hand, to be honest, if you keep a Costco-sized supply of condoms in your bedroom it’ll make me wonder what kind of guy you really are.”

I thought for a second and realized my response, while probably necessary, would really kill the moment. That damn virginity could stick around with me a while longer. I chose a different route, exploration—as suggested by Cosmopolitan’s June issue.

“Shh. We have all summer.” I went right back to kissing his neck, my fingers stumbling over the tiny buttons as I slowly opened his shirt. I took my time, using my tongue and hands to learn every inch of his toned chest. Rollan took advantage when I leaned back up to kiss him, his mouth working my neck when he could. His hands worked their way under my dress and my bra magically disappeared.

I lost the advantage of being in charge when Rollan sat up, taking me with him. He guided me down until my back was flat against the ground. His hands cupped my hips and pulled me closer toward his waiting mouth.

I knew what he wanted. I’d read about it more than enough times, in just about every single romance book I’d ever read. I was more than curious about the act. I didn’t need to be encouraged; I just needed to set my fears aside and go with the flow, like the article in Cosmo told strong independent women to do.

With my mind made up, I simply stood up and undressed. Rollan sat back on his heels, watching my every move with hunger in his eyes. I knelt down beside him and tapped his shoulder, motioning for him to lie back. When he was in place, I turned around so my face was at the button of his jeans. Then, like the Cosmo girls I’d read about, I sucked in a deep breath, ignored the butterflies dancing in my belly, and carefully placed my legs on either side of his head.

I would like to make a suggestion to whatever authority is in charge of bestowing honors to the world’s most proficient lovers. Rollan’s tongue should be given gold medals, knighted, and insured for millions. His fingers should be crowned with little gold laurels and marble statues in their likeness put on display.

I lost my mind in a chain of orgasms while I frantically unbuttoned, unzipped and pulled away the material imprisoning his throbbing erection. I had to lean forward a little to get away from his tongue and fingers to give my mind and body a break. I wanted to devote my full attention to the brand new experience that waited in my hand. I wanted to explore and fully appreciate every hard, swollen inch. His was my first to hold, to stroke, to kiss, to lick and take in my mouth. I might as well admit it, I stayed true to another Cosmo article by making him orgasm with those techniques.

Rollan’s hands were on the move and he was exploring me in ways I hadn’t imagined. I marveled at how his erection once again came to full strength. We both wanted to do so much more. I rolled off of him so he was free to move. In a single motion he was on top of me, kissing my neck and breasts.

I’d just relented to my urges and wrapped my legs around his back. His hardness was ready to enter me and I wanted it more than anything.

Someone or something suddenly charged through the nearby brush. My view of the hurtling assailant was blocked by Rollan’s head. Whatever it was must have used Rollan’s ass like a springboard, launching itself into the tall grass where it disappeared from our line of sight. It was screaming all the while, like a banshee on crack. 

My first fleeting thought was that my guardian angel must have flown in at the speed of sound to prevent me from having unprotected sex. Then fear set in.

Chapter Thirteen

T
he surprise and sudden shift of emotional states left me shaken. Rollan jumped to his feet, assuming a protective stance between me and the creature. Not one to lie there and take a beating, I quickly threw my dress on, picked up a stout branch, and prepared to go on the offense.

“Rollan! Grab a stick or a rock. There’s two of us and one of it. We’ll club the tar out of it.”

The creature grunted, screeched, and finally yelled in a human voice. “God damn it!”

“Gina?” we asked in perfect harmony.

“What is that thing on her face?” Rollan leaned forward, perplexed by the strange goggles.

“Get them off of me! Help!” She twirled around, swatting her back.

“Hold still! What is it?”

“Killer. Fucking. Wasps,” Gina barked, prying the goggles from her head. “These things got all blurry. I was pushing buttons on the side when I walked under a tree and hit something. It felt like a heap of dead leaves clumped together so I tried knocking it down. Turns out I was bashing a giant wasp nest like a damn piñata. Look, Jessica.” She lifted her shirt. “You go ahead and look too, lover boy.” She flipped down the petite cup of her bra. “That’s not a nipple, that’s a sting.”

“Pull your shirt off. Let me take a look,” I said. Rollan politely faced the other direction. I checked for any stragglers, but it appeared they had retreated after driving her away. “No more wasps, but I counted seventeen stings. We need to get you home and take care of these.”

“I was wondering where you two disappeared to,” Gina whispered. “Things escalated pretty quickly between you and Rollan. Did you do it?”

“Almost, but you intervened at the last second. Thanks. And I mean it. I have no protection.”

“Did you get plenty of time to play around at least?”

“Made it through every single tip and trick from the June issue.”

“Ah, ‘Have a Summer of Sixty-Nines.’ I’m impressed. That would mean Rollan is especially talented. And you really did your research, very nice. Right down to the last drop?”

“Yup.”

Gina laughed so hard she forgot about her stings. “I want a complete detailed report later. I deserve it. By the way, since the goggles were messed up, I got zero data. And speaking of them, how do we explain them to Rollan? He’s going to ask what I was doing.”

“I’ll improvise. Just go along with whatever I come up with.”

“Are you all right, Gina?” Rollan asked.

“Nothing that a little baking soda won’t cure. Now that you and Jessica are hooking up, I’ll be keeping an eye on you. Don’t play any games with her. You hurt her, I hurt you. Got it?”

“Got it.” Rollan was either a very good actor or he was genuinely intimidated by her.

I covered my mouth, holding back a laugh attack. Gina was so tiny, but she sure had a big brave heart.

Rollan picked up the goggles, studying them. I wanted to pre-empt any of his thoughts on the matter with a plausible explanation.

“Those are mine, actually. They’re a special infrared vision system for birdwatching. I let Gina borrow them.”

“Ah, I think I’ve heard of something about these. Thermal imaging. Infrared sensors. It has a powerful computer with a visual display.” Rollan’s lips tightened, his eyes squinting as if he thought of something but didn’t want to say it. “Pretty high-tech equipment for birdwatching. Must be looking for some very special birds.”

“Yes. The rare ivory-billed woodpecker lives deep in the forest and nests inside trees. Of course, you can’t see them without special equipment. We better walk Gina home.”

He took my hand and the three of us headed back to the house. I couldn’t tell if he bought my explanation. It seemed he did, or else he was hiding his skepticism well.

Tiago greeted us at the door with a bag of moldy grapes in his grip. “Fresh grapes.”

“Rollan, meet Tiago, my Amazonian parrot. Be warned, he’s a filthy-beaked bird.”

“Hello, Tiago. How are you doing?” Rollan held out his index finger, patiently waiting for a response.

Tiago left the grapes, hopping out of the room as he squawked a warning. “There are two kinds of grapes in the world, my friend: grapes that are fresh and grapes that aren’t. Squawk
!
Whoever double-crosses me and leaves moldy grapes, she understands nothing about Tiago. Nothing!”

“Jessica, I think your parrot is upset. Is he always this grouchy?”

“He’s moody. You never know with him.”

“That warning was meant for me. I promised him fresh grapes and I forgot they were spoiled. That was straight up creepy.” Gina was genuinely worried. I’d never heard her voice sound so shaky.

“Please. You know Tiago. He mimics. In fact, I’m sure he picked up that kind of talk from an old Western he watched with my grandma. Now, get your little butt in the bath. You should wash those stings. I don’t know if baking soda will do much at this point, but we have some cream in the first aid kit. I’ll bring it in.”

“I have fresh grapes at home for Tiago. Which gives me an idea. Ladies, if you will allow me, I will cook for you tonight. I’ll bring some things to make a nice country-style French meal, and grapes for poor Tiago.”

Gina and I looked at each other with what I call the “Wow. Really? Sure” face, complete with arched eyebrows, nearly-frowning closed lips, and head pulled back just a little.

“Gina and I are both from good Italian stock. It’s against our nature to refuse an offer of food.”

“Yes, you may cook for us, Rollan. Consider it a tribute payment for being Jessica’s lover boy.” Gina pointed her little nose in the air and strutted off to take her bath.

I watched Rollan walk to his slightly beat-up old Saab, thinking what a breath of fresh air he was in my life.

Gina kept the first aid kit in the kitchen. According to her, that’s where most injuries occur. Tiago sat on top of the fridge, pouting and plotting.

Ointment in hand, I knocked on the bathroom door. “Can I come in?”

“Of course.”

Gina’s head looked like it was floating on a sea of foam. “You take bubble baths to a higher level, Gina. Here’s the cream.”

“So start talking. How was he, really? Did he live up to your expectations?”

“That and more. I’ve told you I never had a boyfriend. I’ve had two, maybe three kisses from boys and they were awful—awkward and childish. Rollan made love to me with his kiss. There’s no other way to describe it.”

“Jesus. That’s hot. What else? Did he just take you from there?”

“He never had the chance. He was stopping at a kiss, but after a kiss like that… hell, I tackled his ass and pinned him down.”

“Oh my God. You did, didn’t you? Technically on your first date. So you just took control of the situation and ran with the June issue. Wow. I wonder if I could do that. Let me rephrase: I hope I get the opportunity to.”

“Yeah, but you know what? I’m not going to feel bad about it. It’s not like I haven’t been around him every day at work. Right? And look at us, Gina. We’re not kids anymore. I’m twenty-two, you’ll be twenty-two in about a month. We’re adults! Maybe we’re newborn adults, but we’re adults just the same. Tell me, outside of a convent, where do you find two twenty-two-year-old virgins? And I’m not talking about just one aspect of virginity. I mean we’re like untouched biblical virgins.”

“You took care of some of it today, girl.” She tossed a handful of foam, laughing as it glanced off my cheek.

“Gina, let me ask you something. Do you believe wishes can come true?”

“Nope. There’s nothing wrong with making a wish if it makes you feel good, but don’t ever count on it working. Hell, I bet if you could see a master list of all the wishes made in the world each day and how many came true, I think you’d have your answer.”

“Sure, I get that. But those are just plain everyday wishes. Let’s say a special wish is made. By special, I mean it’s made by someone who may have some untapped magical ability.”

“Explain what this ability is.”

“Witchcraft. My cousins are witches and they think I might have the ability to be one.”

Gina carefully shaved her legs. “Most people would tell you to start taking your meds regularly if you said that. But not me. When I traveled with my certifiably crazy cuckoo parents on their missions, we went to places that had real honest-to-God genuine witchdoctors, shamans, and other people that dealt with magic. I’ve seen with my own eyes what they can do.”

“Oh thank God! I was worried you’d think I was completely bonkers.”

“Nope. Not at all. My parents brought back quite a few magic carvings, charms, and I think there’s even a wand of some kind around here. Anyway, Jessica, if your cousins aren’t bullshitting you, if they really are witches, and they’re right about you, then I say yes. It is possible for a magic wish to come true.”

“Maybe that’s all a spell really is, a magic wish.”

“It would be awesome if you ever tap into your full potential. Think about it.”

“They have a friend named Esmeralda. She’s really old, like over three hundred years old, but she looks twenty-eight. I’ve seen her use her powers. I know it’s true.” I knew about a lot more than just Ezzy’s powers, but I held back. Gina could still get scared away if I told her half the crazy stuff I’d seen. Those were things she’d need to see for herself. “You have to come with me and meet my family. You’ll love them.”

“It’s a deal! I’d love to. Back to the wish. I’m guessing you made a wish and you think it might come true? What did you wish for?”

“I wished to find a Shifter this summer, I wished to find romance, and I wished to fall in love.”

“Congrats! If you confirm Rollan is the raccoon Shifter, you’ve nailed two out of three, and something tells me you’re one kiss away from falling in love. If you haven’t already.”

“It can’t come true. That’s the problem! You see, the witches I know have a strict law. A witch cannot fall in love with a Shifter. It’s forbidden and I was warned about it. The other problem is that I was told a completely different group of witches live in Assjacket.  Nobody seems to know how those witches would react if they discovered who, or what, I am. What if they think I’m a spy? I’m getting worried. What if I’m breaking one of their taboos by coming here?”

“That fear is all in your head. It’s probably normal considering you just June-editioned the guy you might fall in love with. Typical commitment phobia. Now it’s time for you to leave. I need to shave my cooter before the water gets cold.”