Page 19 of Potions and Proposals
As if she couldn’t get enough, Lucinda moved onto his lap, wrapping her legs around him. Their bodies pressed together. They’d barely started, and he was already painfully hard beneathher. He couldn’t believe how desperately he wanted more, like he’d been starving his whole life and she was his favourite meal. Part of him hated himself for not stopping her as she slipped her hands under his T-shirt, exploring the planes of his back – she wasn’t in her right mind. And he would stop her, but right now, he was going to kiss her, hold her, like this kiss would be their last.
His hand began to slide up her thigh. A whimper slipped up her throat, and she began to rock against him. He wanted to please her, to be the one to make her feel an ecstasy she’d never forget, but when he opened his eyes, he was reminded of how they’d got there. He refused to get carried away. Easing her off and away from him was easily one of the most painful things he’d ever had to do.
Lucinda wrapped her arms around him, tucking her legs beneath her. “I’m sorry, I got carried away.”
“You’ve nothing to be sorry about.” He grabbed handfuls of his hair, trying to distract himself from the way his body ached at the loss of her touch. “But we need to stop,” he pleaded with his conscience.
“Why? It’s not like this is real.” She smiled teasingly.
Benedict bolted upright to find Lucinda sleeping peacefully, curled into him for warmth. He sank back on the lounger, resting a hand on his forehead, trying to push out the memories of the all-too-real dream.
Lucinda snuggled closer, distracting him. He had to get her inside before she froze; he’d forgotten she didn’t have his element to keep her warm out here.
Careful not to wake her, Benedict carried her to his private wing so she wouldn’t be disturbed by housekeeping. She needed to sleep off Luisa’s tea, and he didn’t want her disturbed by those who rose early for breakfast. He told himself it was hercloseness, the smell of her strawberry shampoo, that had caused the dream.
Laying her down on his poster bed, he pulled the midnight-blue velvet comforter over her to keep her warm. She curled into it, tucking it under her chin.
If someone had told him hours ago that he’d have a Hawthorne in his bed, he would’ve accusedthemof drinking Luisa’s tea. At least here she’d be safe. He didn’t want the coven to penalise her for her night of freedom, and since she lived with the High Priestess, there was no way she’d have been able to hide it.
Benedict lit the fire in the corner of the room to ensure she was cosy after being out in the cold rain, then sat in the armchair and watched the flames. He needed her well rested. Tomorrow, they’d have plentyto talk about.
Startled awake, Lucy found herself in a room styled as though it was still the 1800s. Had she somehow gone back in time? Then she saw the engraved M at the centre of the mantlepiece across the room.
How the hell did I end up in Matherson Manor?The room spun as she attempted to recall the previous evening. With her mouth furry and head foggy, it started to come back to her in pieces.The lake… Rosie… Luisa’s tea? Stars?The last thing she remembered was being surrounded by countless stars.And the smell of chlorine?
Her stomach grumbled loudly; she was starving. She went to move, only to realise an arm rested across her lap. Bringing a hand to her mouth to silence her cry, Lucy gently eased it off, resting it on the pillow wall between herself and—
Her heart stopped as she saw Benedict Matherson, her nemesis, fast asleep.
Her only relief was that he was fully clothed. Slowly, she eased herself off the bed and made it into the bathroom on the other side of the room. Only then did she take note of her bare legs and a raincoat that was certainly not part of her wardrobe. She didn’t need to check to know there was only her underwear beneath it. She hung her head in her hands, mortified. She guessed she had him to thank for the jacket.
Did he see me half-naked? Oh God, not just half-naked but on that damn mushroom tea! I should have just gone to bed as I planned. Why did I let Rosie talk me into going?She wanted the black bathroom tiles to open up and swallow her whole.
“What was he even doing in the woods?” she asked herself, leaning on the gold-coated sink.In her desperation, she even considered waking him, needing to know what the hell had happened and how they had ended up in the same bed. Which one of them had built the pillow wall? Either way, she was grateful for its presence.
As much as she wanted to jump into his oversized shower – filled with more products than she’d ever thought a man could want – and wash away her humiliation, she wanted to get out of the Manor before he woke up and lorded her crazy night over her. The shame of him witnessing it was too much to bear. Quickly, she replaced the raincoat with a navy robe, only to see his initials over her breast. She rolled her eyes as she let her fingers graze the gold embroidery.
Staring at herself in the mirror, she was instantly thankful to find she hadn’t lost any of her several earrings. Some were handed down through the family, and to lose one would have been devastating. However, her eyes were bloodshot and sore from leaving her contacts in for far too long. She removed them, still able to see up close, to give her eyes a break. She only wishedshe hadn’t lost her clothes… she let out a groan, reminded of the fact that Benedict had seen her semi-nude. She would’ve preferred it if Hades himself had found her and dragged her back to the underworld.
She was getting off track.What if he uses this against me with the coven? I suppose I could argue that if I was out, he was too?
She tried to use her element to fill the sink with water, afraid the sound of running water through the old pipes would wake Benedict, but nothing happened. She steadied her breathing and tried again. “The tea must have weakened me,” she muttered, but she’d tried Luisa’s tea before when they were doing a seance, and she didn’t recall it having any effect on her element.
Putting it down to the stress of the last twenty-four hours, she told herself she’dbefine in a bit. Thankfully, the clock on the bathroom wall showed that she had some time before dawn, but someone was bound to notice if she walked through the hotel in Benedict’s robe. She sat on the edge of the tub, contemplating what to do. She’d left her phone at home before she’d gone to meet the others at the lake.
I could try teleporting, but it might not work. If my element isn’t working, my teleporting skills might also be weakened.She considered putting on a brave face and waking Benedict, demanding he take her home, but when she opened the door a crack, he stirred and she quickly closed it again. There was no way she could face him.
Praying her magic would still work, even if her element was off, she squeezed her eyes shut and pictured home.
The warmth of the heated tile was replaced with the damp feel of the porch beneath her feet. Lucy couldn’t help but jump for joy as she found herself at her front door. If she hadn’t been afraid of the neighbours seeing her in a Matherson robe she would have kissed every inch of the porch, damn the splinters.
“Strange… the tea allowed me to portal, but not to use my water magic. How does that make sense?” she murmured to herself.
She didn’t have a chance to think about it before she spotted her neighbour coming out across the street with their dogs. Lucy darted inside before she could be seen. Avoiding the creaky floorboards, having mastered them as a teen, she made it to the attic without incident. Taking her first calm, deep breath of the morning, she turned on the ornate lamp by her desk, careful not to knock off the pile of annotated books. She didn’t have time to tidy up, and she desperately needed to wash up before her mum or Grams saw her in Benedict’s robe first thing in the morning only hours after agreeing to his proposal.
An image of him on his knee, with her foot on his lap, sprang to mind. It couldn’t be real, but his smirk in her memory seemed all too real.
Chaos, her grey cat, climbed out from the many pastel cushions on the unmade bed and stretched out her claws.
