Page 23 of Secrets & Curses of Fate

Penelope hugged me tightly. I hugged her back, and I wondered if this is what it would have been like to have a mother. After a long moment, she pulled away.

“Take care of him; he’s all in on you.”?

“I promise.”?

Haden walked up, and his mother let us have space. He smiled down at me and saw the tears welling in my eyes.?

“What’s wrong, Storm?” His thumb brushed against my cheek.?

“I’m thankful that the heavens brought you to me.”?

Something flickered through his eyes as he leaned down and kissed me softly.

“I want to take you somewhere,” he whispered. “Can you take us to the house with your star mist?”?

“Yes.” I smiled.?

“Ardella and I will see you guys later.” He called out without looking away from me. My star mist circled around us, and when it disappeared, we were standing next to Haden’s house. I glanced at it and stilled. It had the outside walls up. I looked at Haden, and he smiled brightly.?

“My dad and Holden helped me get them up today.”?

He grabbed my hand, led me up to the door, and pushed it open. He fumbled around for a minute before a lantern lit up the space. There were no internal walls finished, but it looked like a home.

“Haden, this is so exciting. It’s looking so good.” I turned and looked at the progress he made since I left a day ago. I froze when I saw the bed he had set up and looked at him.?

“I was thinking about staying here some nights.”

I nodded, and Haden stared at me. I could feel the tension between us.Please come over here and kiss me, I begged silently. Haden swallowed hard as he looked over at me. His eyes lingered on my exposed skin. When his eyes met mine, I held my breath and waited for him to finally make a move. He cleared his throat lightly and ran his hand through his hair. When he turned away from me, disappointment coursed through me.

I looked at the bed and sighed softly. Did he not want to do anything? Was it not customary to do anything like this before marriage?

“Is there a reason you never touch me more than kissing?” I asked, sounding far braver than I felt.

Haden turned to face me quickly. He stared at me, frozen to his spot, like maybe he hadn’t heard me correctly.

“Do you want me to?” His voice was shaky.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked, smiling at him.

He exhaled loudly, his nostrils flaring as he looked at me. “I just assumed that you didn’t do that until marriage.”

My brows pinched together with confusion. “Why would you think that?” I asked.

“The whole being-a-goddess thing? I don’t know; I just figured it was like a spiritual thing.” He fumbled his words in such an adorable way.

I laughed softly, and he finally relaxed as well.?

“Hell, no, Haden. I have been impatiently waiting for you to make a move. I thought that you didn’t want to for some reason.”

Haden’s eyes traced all over me. “Fuck no, I have been holding myself back.”

“Well, stop holding back.”

That was all he needed to hear. Before I could react, Haden was pulling me to him, his mouth crushing mine. His hands gripped my hips and tugged me against his body. Haden backed us up, so the backs of my knees hit the bed, and we fell onthe bed together. He stared down at me, his eyes drinking in my face. His fingers gripped my jaw before his thumb rubbed against my mouth roughly.

“So pretty, Storm,” he whispered.?

His words shot straight through me, making my stomach clench tightly.

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