Page 52 of Wind Called

“Then we’ll call it in and I’ll go pick it up,” he replied. “That way, no one will get a single glimpse of you. Sound like a plan?”

“Sounds perfect.” She sipped some wine, expression almost contemplative as she watched the fountain’s waters dance in the sunlight, sparkling like little diamonds as they fell from tier to tier. A hummingbird approached, wings a blur as it sipped delicately from the water before it flew off again. Without looking at him, Bellamy added, “I’m kind of annoyed the voices didn’t give me any details as to what we’re supposed to be looking for. Yeah, go ahead and tell me we have enemies everywhere, but then leave me to figure it out on my own.”

“You’re not on your own,” Marc said. For a second, their gazes met, and her lips curved into a partial smile, one of acknowledgment. “I’m here, and the elders know what’s going on, so we’ll all work on this together. And everyone knows they need to stay vigilant, so I don’t think there’ll be any repeats of what happened at Connor and Angela’s house…or at myprima’s.”

Or at least, he assumed everyone in their various clans knew to be careful. He’d had a text show up on his phone not long after Zoe’s phone call to the McAllister elders, telling everyone in the de la Paz clan that there had been an attempted break-in at her house and that they needed to be watchful in case something like that occurred again. And although Bellamy hadn’t mentioned it, he had to assume Angela had probably done the same thing for her own clan.

An assumption Bellamy confirmed a moment later, since she said, “Yes, Angela posted in the group chat that there’d been some shenanigans and people should be extra vigilant. And then my dads messaged me a little bit after that, wanting to make sure I was okay. I told them I was, but….” The words trailed off, and she helped herself to a swallow of pinot grigio. “They’re worried, and I get it. They don’t like that this is happening right after their baby girl left the nest. Problem is, I don’t think there’s anything they can do to help. My dad Jordan is a civilian, and my dad Kirby is a pretty strong warlock, but his gift is finding things, which I don’t think is going to help much in this particular situation.”

Probably not. If the amulet — or the grimoires in Zoe’s library in Scottsdale — had actually been stolen, then maybe Kirby could have helped track them down.

Determining the identities of the thieves involved?

Not so much.

“Well, I understand why they’d be concerned,” Marc said. “A lot of this would be frightening enough on its own without also worrying that their only daughter is out of the house for the first time.”

Once again, Bellamy’s clear gray eyes caught his, and held. A secretive little smile played around her mouth as she replied, “Except that I’m notexactlyliving on my own right now, am I?”

Officially, she was supposed to be. But he would be staying here tonight, and he guessed she’d want him to stay the next night as well. After that?

He supposed he’d have to see what happened next, but with the ranch’s owner out of the country and no one checking on what she was up to, Marc thought it didn’t make much sense for him to keep paying for the Airbnb if he wasn’t even using it.

Well, they could figure that out later. It wasn’t as if he was hurting for cash or anything close to it.

“I guess not,” he said. “And I think I like playing house with you.”

Her eyes glinted, or maybe that was just a reflection from the dancing waters of the pond. “You do?”

“Very much.”

He set down his glass of wine and went over to her, taking her by the hands so she was standing as well and it would be easier to pull her into his arms and kiss her, tasting the tartness of the pinot grigio on her tongue…feeling how his body responded as she pressed against him.

No words, but she took him by the hand and led him inside, moving quickly through the living room and down a hall that passed an office and a media room, and terminated in what he guessed was the master suite. It was a big space, maybe twenty by twenty, with a plaster kiva-style fireplace in one corner and a huge square canvas of what he thought might be Cathedral Rock hanging above the equally enormous bed.

After that, he didn’t have much opportunity to pay attention to the decor, because Bellamy was tugging at his belt so she could pull it loose, her fingers flying down the buttons of his 501s. At the same time, he unfastened the button and zipper of her cargo shorts, and soon enough, they were on the floor, along with the sleeveless cotton blouse she wore and his T-shirt with the “Ski Mt. Lemmon” legend on it.

They fell onto the bed, which was big and billowy, much more luxurious than the mattress at his Airbnb…or his bed at home, to be honest. She kissed him on his throat, and then her kisses were moving down his chest, lower and lower, until she came to his boxer briefs, which she pulled down with little ceremony so she could take him into her mouth.

She’d done this to him before, but it felt even better this time. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the simple realization that he loved his woman more than he’d ever thought he could love anyone, that it didn’t matter if they were chasing vortexes or eating Thai or simply being — every moment with Bellamy McAllister was perfect.

Just as she was utterly perfect now, bringing him close to a climax and then drawing back so she could remove her underwear and sink down onto him.

God, that was amazing. He reached up to her caress her breasts, which were high and rounded but not overly large, each of them just the perfect size to fit into his cupped palms. She moaned, back arching as he touched her and she rode him, and he knew this was exactly what he’d needed…what they’d both needed.

He could feel the orgasm on its way, his body pulsing with heat and need and sensation. Their fingers knotted together, and they held on when they both climaxed, with her coming maybe a second or two before he did. But they rode it out together, hands still clasped, until at last she let out a sigh and climbed off him so she could fall onto the bed, body pressed against his.

“How’d you know that was exactly what I needed?” she asked, and he bent to kiss her.

“Because it was just what I needed, too.”

They got burgers to go from Nick’s because it was close and they both wanted something hearty and fun after that afternoon’s activities. Or rather, Bellamy called in the order and Marc went to go pick it up, since they were still doing their best to maintain the fiction that she was off handling some mythical family emergency.

Actually, she supposed it wasn’t that mythical when you got right down to it, but the situation wasn’t exactly something she could discuss with her civilian boss.

It was fun to sit at the big dining table and watch as the twilight faded into night, though, and to share another of the bottles they’d gotten during their visit to the various tasting rooms in Page Springs. If she’d been alone here, she might have been a lot more hinky about the gathering darkness outside, or how the nearest neighbor wasn’t close enough to hear her if she screamed for help, but now that she knew Marc would be staying the night, the place felt downright cozy.

“And I suppose we’ll see tomorrow morning if this place has worked its magic on you,” she said, then took a bite of her Guinness burger, messy with sautéed onions and gorgeously gooey cheese.

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