Page 13 of Haunt Improvement
The baby bump had complicated things in the bedroom.So had wittle witch’s increasing activity.Nothing killed Daddy bat’s sex drive quite like a kick in the gut from his unborn daughter.
We’d tried to time our trysts around her sleep schedule, and we’d even gone so far as to test drive some of the more obscure positions in Mama Ellie’s sex ritual grimoire.It was hit or miss most nights—or weeks, as it were.Between the violent bun in my cauldron and Mama Hermosa living with us, our lusty moments were becoming fewer and further between.It wasn’t helping my stormy mood swings either.
I drew the line at discussing our sex life in therapy with Roger, but his communication tips had at least helped me bring the issue to Dylan’s attention, and we’d promised each other to not let more than a week pass, lest I accidentally bring on a flood or tornado.
“Gently.”I sucked a breath through my teeth as Dylan went after my breasts.They had been tender lately, another complication we were navigating with increasing frustration.I raked my fingers through his hair and dragged him with me toward the bed, stepping over our discarded clothes.“I need you.Now.”
“We have at least an hour,” he reminded me.I didn’t care.
“Please.”I broke free of his fondling long enough to spin around and bend over the bed.It was the only position that guaranteed he wouldn’t notice if our wittle witch started turning cartwheels.
Dylan’s hands roved over my hips, and then he pressed firmly against me, drawing a needy sound from my throat.Though the bedroom curtains were drawn, sunlight seeped through the white fabric, flooding the room.A shimmer of iridescent color tinted the walls, throbbing in time with my pulse.The colors intensified as Dylan ran a hand up my spine and took hold of my shoulder.His other tightened on my opposite hip, and I nearly exploded with want.
“Please, please,” I begged again, fisting the ivy bedspread in both hands.
Dylan answered with a thrust of his magic wand, and I buried my face in the bed, muffling my moans.My honeybat had a harder time disguising his noises.But we were alone.At least for a little while.
And there was no place like home.
* * *
WE WERE WELL AND SPENTlong before Mama Hermosa and Asher returned.The lovemaking was still sizzling, but the days of multiple-orgasm sex rituals in the orchard were a distant dream.The idea of Asher stumbling upon us was too traumatic—for everyone involved.And one round was all the wittle witch would allow before she launched a full-on assault on my bladder.
A rainbow lingered across the wall above our bed.The hues had shifted to softer pastels, fading as my heart rate stabilized.Dylan traced a finger through the sparkling colors, a lazy grin plastered across his moist lips.I couldn’t stop kissing him.His other arm wrapped around my shoulders, holding me close to his chest, where more rainbows painted his skin.
“I could get used to this kind of weather,” he said, sighing blissfully as I stole another kiss.“Think your magic will still light up our bedroom like a rave during sexy time after the baby comes along?”
“I really don’t know,” I answered, pinching one of his nipples thoughtfully.“The last West witch with weather powers was my gran, but she rarely used her gift, and she was single through most of my life—as far as I know.”
Fabio, Zelda’s spandex-loving father, had overshared about running into some of my estranged relatives at witchy orgies.I’d been too afraid to ask about my gran’s extracurricular habits, but she’d managed to produce my father, Glinda’s father, and our aunt Evillenesomehow.
“My great-grandmother had weather powers, too,” I admitted with more hesitation.“She died before I was born.Gran said it was an accident of her own creation, caused by one of her temperamental storms.It’s why Gran was so big on meditation and keeping the peace, forgiving every slight.Plus, it would have cost a fortune to install hurricane glass in all the windows of her big old house.”
Dylan planted a kiss on my forehead and nuzzled his head back into his pillow, closing his eyes.“Guess we’re lucky you have all that extra house magic and can fix cracked glass—but I’m still glad we invested in the coastal windows for the nursery.”
“Speaking of my volatile family...”I bit my bottom lip and winced.It was poor timing for ruining our afterglow warm fuzzies, but good timing for the endorphins currently keeping my mood in check.“Glinda wants me to invite her sister to the baby shower,” I blurted before I could lose my nerve.
“What?”Dylan’s eyes sprang open.“Isn’t that the cousin who tortured you through high school?”
“One and the same.”I nodded grimly.“But Glinda insists that it was harmless childhood shenanigans, and that Emmy’s more tolerable to be around now...and Glinda also thinks extending this olive branch would get her—and me—back in the family’s wicked graces.Notthat I have any interest in mending fences with my family,” I quickly added.
“But you worry about losing Glinda,” Dylan said, reading my mind.
“I worry about losing Glinda,” I echoed.
The bond with my cousin had been unexpected, but here we were.And now here I was, wondering if there was any chance a similar connection could be forged with Emmy.It felt like a slippery slope, trusting West witches not to live up to their wicked legacy.But maybe...just maybe, Gran, Glinda, and I weren’t the only exceptions to the rule?
“Zelda will be at the party, right?”Dylan asked, seeking safeguards over protest.He was a smart man.
“She was the first to R.S.V.P.”
“And Sassy?”
“She’ll be working at the Country Club so that Daisy can be here.But I think Zelda can handle any situation that arises with her Baba Yaga powers.And I’m not beneath blasting Emmy somewhere over the rainbow if she even thinks about trying anything.”
“Ouch!”Dylan yelped, reminding me that his nipple was still between my fingers.The thought of Emmy causing havoc at the baby shower had really raised my hackles.
“Sorry, honeybat.”I kissed his chest and gave him an apologetic pat.Then I kissed his ribcage, and his stomach.He groaned appreciatively and closed his eyes, arching back as I moved lower.
