Third Charm: A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 3) Read online

  He knew. He doubled his efforts, slamming me against the bed with his hips as he drilled me from above. My cries of his name became a scream of pleasure. My orgasm washed over me, and I lifted my head and couldn't even cry out any more. My voice having completely left me. And then, just when I thought I couldn't take anymore, he cried out and emptied himself inside me.

  The last thought I had as my face crashed into the pillow and I started panting was concern. I thought I heard someone scream from the other room…

  Chapter 3

  "Hello, Mother."

  "Greetings, Child. Welcome home."

  The chief and I slipped into the booth across from her, and I smiled as my eyes roamed the Five Star Diner. It felt like it had been ages since I sat in my mother's favorite booth, when it had literally been just over a month.

  The trip from Cedar Falls had been mostly uneventful, unless you counted arguing with the rental kiosk girl at the airport and the forty-five-minute drive it took us to get to Ashville. Even Chief had been eerily quiet. Until we pulled into town and his jaw hit the floor. Ashville as it was prepping for Christmas was nothing short of miraculous.

  "How was your trip?" She wore an evil grin on her face. Mother knew I hated flying. I was waiting for a charge to show up on my credit card for destroying the armrests of seat 15C. When white-knuckling them didn't alleviate the stress, I may have inadvertently made the metal a little malleable with magic…

  "Uneventful."

  "I'm sure." She grinned and looked at the chief. I'm sure mile-high-club thoughts were running through her over-sexed brain as she leered.

  "Dot!"

  I looked up and saw Jenny heading for our table. I waved frantically, grateful to see my most favorite waitress in the universe. Jenny had been seventeen when she started working at the diner. That was nearly forty-years ago. Her blonde ponytail had long turned gray, and her stick-thin figure had thickened, but she was still pretty, and I imagined would be for years to come. Jenny was human, but ageless in character. I got up from my seat on the edge of the booth and hugged her when she got close enough.

  "I didn't think you'd be back this soon." She laughed as she pulled back, looking me up and down.

  "Yeah. I'm stealing some Ashvillains to take back with me."

  "They need any waitresses?" She winked to let me know she was joking. Had she been serious, I would have given her a job at the bookstore in a heartbeat. Jenny was more than a waitress. Jenny had been there for most of my life and when things got difficult, she was always there to lend an ear or a bit of advice.

  "Sure. Call a moving truck, I have work for you."

  "Nah. Dave wouldn't let me go alone and I don't want to move with him."

  I sat back down. "Miss Blackwell, would you care for your usual tea?" Jenny went into full waitress mode, knowing better than to treat my mother familiarly. It made me want to slap her sometimes. Pretty sure someone had shoved the words prim and proper in the dictionary to describe my mother.

  "Please, Jennifer."

  "And who is this?" She turned her attention on Chief.

  "This is my boyfriend, Bill. Bill, Jenny."

  "Boyfriend, huh?" She reached out her hand and shook Chief's.

  "He's the chief of police in the town I moved to. So, behave yourself," I told her with a laugh.

  "He handcuff you, yet?"

  "No. And we need to have a serious discussion about that." I turned to him and winked at him, enjoying the lovely shade of crimson his cheeks had turned. My mother even cackled.

  "Hi, Jenny," he said shyly.

  "What can I get you to drink?"

  "What is a witches brew?" He pointed at the menu.

  "Cream soda float."

  "Huh. I'll try one."

  "Usual, Dot?"

  "Please."

  "I'll be right back."

  I smiled as she walked away.

  "I swear, how you get so enamored with the help in these places."

  "Relax, Mother. I've known her for forty years. It's your own fear of human interaction talking."

  "I fear nothing, Child."

  "Is that a spider on the booth behind you?"

  She gasped and spun, tuning back toward me very slowly. I strengthened my shields just in case and perused the menu, trying not to chuckle.

  "Daughter…"

  "Yes, Mother?"

  "You are an ungrateful, horrible child."

  "Love you, too, Mother."

  Chief just chuckled. "How's the food here? Any recommendations?"

  "It's on par with Herb's. Stay away from the meatloaf, though."

  "Not good?"

  "Really good. Just think Nestor uses it as a front to get rid of bodies."

  "Maybe a few centuries ago, dear. The health department regularly inspects his beef after the rumor mill refused to let that one go."

  "Yeah. I'll stick to chicken." Chief looked a little green. "What are you getting?"

  "Think I'm going to have the hot roast beef."

  "Safe?"

  I shrugged. "Worth the risk."

  He sighed, but nodded, setting his menu down on top of mine.

  "How has my daughter been treating you, Bill? It is good to see you two still together."

  "She has her moments. Mostly when she's being reckless, but I'm trying to slowly teach her how to rely on others and not take everything onto herself."

  "Good luck, young man."

  "Thanks, Miss Blackwell."

  "Madeline, please."

  Chief nodded, and Jenny brought our drinks, took our order, and left us alone. There was the awkward moment of silence before Mother finally broke it. "I have two more names to add to your list of immigrants."

  "Oh? You mean besides Derek? What were you thinking, Mother, sending him straight out? You knew we were coming here."

  "Oh? Must have slipped my mind when I pictured the delight you would feel seeing him again. Should I not have?" She glanced at Chief to judge his reaction.

  "It's fine," I said testily. "Who are the other two?"

  Mother grinned evilly as one eyebrow arched almost enough to disappear into her hairline. "The first one is Miranda…"

  "No. Not just no, but hell no. Now I know you've gone off the deep end."

  "It would be almost a relief to have an older, responsible witch for you and Miranda's spawn to rely upon. She wishes to move closer to her daughter to help out, and she wants to move her floral business with her. I thought it might coincide with your thoughts."

  "Hmmm. It's sound, but I'm afraid Josie might go spastic. If I agree to this, it would be a month before she spoke to me again."

  "You say this as if that would be a bad thing…"

  "Mother. Please." I sighed and made a note in my phone. "I'll at least think about it and talk to her. Will she be there tomorrow?"

  My mother, in an effort to expedite things, had agreed to host an afternoon gathering and banquet at her house, having all the witches who wanted to move in attendance. I'd blinked in surprise when she mentioned it over the phone.

  "Yes."

  "Okay. I'll talk to her, but no promises."

  "That is all she asks."

  "Who's the other addition?"

  Mother froze and took a sip of her tea before looking at me sheepishly. I wasn't going to like this. "Your Grandmother."

  "What?"

  "Your–

  "I heard you. Just trying to tell if you're joking or not. Why the hell would Grandmother want to move? She's nine-hundred-years-old…" Witches could, in theory, live forever. Grandmother was pushing the boundaries of reason. She looked as young as my mother, who looked as young as me, but the hair on her temples had started graying and the flesh around her eyes had begun darkening. The woman had seen knights battle upon horses, wars fought with swords, and lived through two out of three crusades. Why the hell she wanted to move to Cedar Falls was beyond me.

  "I'm very serious. You may ask her yourself. I gave up trying to dissuade her."


  "She'll be there tomorrow?"

  "No. She's coming through the door now…"

  I sighed and turned around. Grandmother nodded at Jenny behind the counter and turned her head, seeing me. A smile crept on her lips and she raised her hand in greeting as she walked slowly and confidently through the crowded diner.

  "Nana?" I stood and made her name a question of a thousand words.

  "Hello, Dearie." She leaned forward and kissed me twice, once gently on each cheek, before taking a seat next to my mother. Seeing them next to each other was quite a shock. I loved my nana dearly. The fights between the two of them had become legendary in Ashville, often wreaking damage and havoc upon the town.

  "Nana, why?"

  She shrugged. "Call it a calling. I had a dream and your Cedar Falls is where I need to be."

  "If the goddess is pushing you, I don't even want to know what is coming," I said breathlessly. Fear slid down my spine like an oily hand. Witches did not lose power as they aged. They amassed it. I was a bazooka. Nana was a tactical nuke.

  "Calm, Child. I sensed nothing from her, just a need to be with you. Maybe my time comes, and she wants me to live out the remainder of my days in peace." She held up a hand and pointed at my mother, rolling her eyes in the process.

  "I'll shall make a large donation to the Cedar Falls Nursing Home prior to your arrival." My mother took another sip of her tea and smiled to herself.

  "You just want my room after I leave this earth, Sweetling."

  I sighed. It was like this every time they moved within five-hundred-yards of each other. Most of the time it was amusing, and it had yet to progress beyond that point, but I wanted to nip it in the bud before things got out of control. I was hungry.

  "Nana, are you sure?"

  She nodded once but didn't elaborate further. A calling from the goddess wasn't something she, or I, could ignore. I sighed heavily and took a sip of my coke. "Welcome to Cedar Falls." And just like that, we had one more witch in our coven. Chief didn't seem upset that I hadn't discussed it with him, either.

  "Then I shall leave you to your dinner." She nodded at me and Chief and stood to leave.

  "You're not staying?"

  "Nay. I have much to do to put things in order here. I shall see you at our new home. I trust housing is fair?"

  "Yes, Nana. You could probably buy one with your credit card."

  "That cheap?"

  I nodded solemnly. "Trying to fix all that."

  "Do wait until after I purchase one. I shall see you in a week's time, possibly. Take care, my precious one." She bent over and kissed me on the forehead. Probably to annoy my mother. The women in my family were not the most affectionate of witches and kisses from Nana were rare.

  "Coot," Mother said as soon as she was out of earshot.

  "Mother!"

  "Please, Daughter. I doubt all that driven by the goddess drivel. She just wishes to be far away from me."

  "I don't blame her sometimes."

  "What was that, dear?"

  "Nothing, Mother."

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  "You're absolutely sure about having your grandmother move in with you?"

  I looked up at Bill wrapped in the hotel towel. He was drying his hair with one of the smaller hand towels and looking pretty damn hot. I could count the number of times I had seen him without a shirt on one hand, and it never failed to disappoint. He wasn't as chiseled as Jimmy, but he was still hot as hell. Distracted, I forgot to answer his question. "Um, what?"

  "You're sure about your grandmother moving?"

  "No, not really, but how can I say no?"

  "True. At least you'll have some family in town." He set the hand towel on the back of the chair and crossed the room, settling on the other bed, wearing only the towel.

  "You're going to get the bed wet if you lay on it in that."

  He smirked across from me. "Would you prefer it if I weren't wearing it?"

  I'd assumed he wasn't interested in playing at all, since he chose the other bed, rather than the one I was occupying. "Maybe, but I'm going to take a shower so wear whatever you want."

  "Should have just taken one with me."

  "The showers in the hotel aren't that big."

  "True. But we could have made it work…" His smirk turned into a grin.

  Memories of my shower with Jimmy made me blush and the room seemed to warm up a few degrees. "Yeah," I managed to mutter.

  "You okay?"

  I nodded and got up, wanting to wash the travel feeling from my body. It was cold, I hadn't even remotely worked up a sweat, despite having dinner with my mother, and I still felt grimy. It was something to do with airports and planes. Whenever I went anywhere, I always felt gross.

  "I'll be out in a minute."

  "Take your time."

  Heading into the bathroom, I peeled off my shirt, dropping it by the closet door, and glancing over my shoulder. Chief had his eyes glued to me. I paused outside the door and reached behind me, unhooking my bra. I let it fall forward and caught it with my arms, sliding them through and stretching. I could almost feel his anticipation of me turning and getting a peek. I crossed one arm over me before turning and he groaned in disappointment. It was the little things that made me smile.

  I hurried into the shower and let the pressure jet against my skin. Even without soap, I immediately felt cleaner. I reached over and grabbed the tiny bottle of hotel shampoo and dumped it into my hand. Chief had killed half the bottle, but there was more than enough left. I scrubbed my scalp and stepped under the water.

  When I opened my eyes, Chief was standing there with the curtain open. I hadn't even heard him come in. "What?"

  "Just wanted to see if you needed any help." He seemed so shy, asking. His eyes told a different story as they soaked in the view.

  "Bullshit. You just wanted to see me naked."

  "That I did."

  Looking down at the towel around his waist, I noticed he was definitely enjoying the view. "You coming in? You're getting water all over the floor."

  "Do you want me to?"

  "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

  He nodded, pulling the towel from his waist and running it through the bar on the wall. "I really wanted to ask you to join me, but I was too afraid to ask."

  "But you had no problem sneaking in while I was in here?"

  He stepped over the side of the tub and grabbed the bottle of conditioner, squirting some in his hands and rubbing them together. "I figured I better or I might miss the show. The thought of you in here, all wet and soapy, kind of made up my mind for me."

  I turned around, letting him run the conditioner through my hair. "Well, I'm not soapy yet."

  He didn't have to be asked twice. Rinsing the conditioner off him, he grabbed the small bar of soap and used it to work up a nice lather before rubbing his hands across my back. Their roughness sent shivers of pleasure all through me. I may have even moaned softly as I leaned my head forward just outside of reach of the water.

  "You are amazingly beautiful, have I mentioned that before?" His voice gave a little quiver as he asked.

  "Once or twice, but I don't think you're in danger of me getting tired of hearing it."

  His hands slid down to my hips and pulled me closer to him. I gasped, feeling the length of him press against me as his face brushed gently against mine. Soapy hands glided around me and rubbed my stomach before cupping my breasts. I turned my head and my mouth awkwardly found his. His tongue gently probed my mouth as he began kneading my breasts. I began to breathe heavily into the kiss, wanting and needing more.

  One hand snaked its way down my front and washed me, parting me and teasing me. My tiny moans grew into something a lot bigger as I continued to pant into our kiss.

  "Not yet. I want you, but not in the shower," I managed to say before pushing his hand away. His chuckle let me know he wasn't too disappointed.

  I quickly turned and rinsed the conditioner out of my hair while his fingers teased me,
gliding lightly across my flesh. My knees nearly gave out when his mouth found one of my nipples.

  I gently pushed him away, turned back around and shut the water off, anxious to get out of the slippery, hard shower and into a warm, firm bed.

  "Let me grab you a towel."

  He slid open the curtain and stepped out, returning a second later and offering me a steadying hand. After all the teasing, I needed it, not trusting my legs in the least. Stepping out onto the cold tile floor, he wrapped me in a large white towel and used its edges to pull me against him. I lay my head against his chest as he dried the water from my back. He pulled away and let me turn around before he did the same to my front. By the time he finished, my skin tingled everywhere and was begging for even more attention.

  I pulled back, grabbing a smaller towel off the rack and wrapping it around my hair before walking out the bathroom door, stark naked. The room was warm enough not to be uncomfortable, but cool enough to tighten my skin in a myriad of tiny bumps. I walked toward my bed and sat in the edge, leaning back on my arms and opening my legs widely for him to enjoy the view or do whatever he wanted.

  He didn't have to be invited twice. I watched, mesmerized, as his cock bounced as he walked. I'd never had him inside me, but tonight I was going to try, damn it. We'd never gone all the way, and the anticipation of it was driving me insane. I wanted him, completely.

  He knelt in front of me and didn't waste a moment as his mouth found me. Reaching up with one hand, he gently pushed me back on the bed, giving him the angle he wanted, as he lifted my legs over his shoulders. His tongue snaked its way inside me as his nose rubbed me gently. Within seconds my back arched, and my hips began to quake.

  "Slowly. You're going to make me come."

  His tongue slowly pulled out and glided up my channel until he found my sweet spot. I whimpered, my legs opening even further as my ankles pulled him closer. Gently, he licked me, swirling around me before his lips fastened to me and suctioned me between them.

  "Chief…"

  He sucked harder, his tongue flicking across me.

  The room faded away as I came on his mouth and tightened my grip on his head, pushing myself against him even harder. When it was over, I groaned and gently ran my hands up my stomach and over my head, stretching as I released my grip on him. He looked up, a soft, adoring smile on his face.