Page 19 of Spice
“Hi, baby,” I say, beaming at him. He might have complained the first time I called him that, but the nickname has stuck. “You’ve got a little something…” I point to his shoulder, where there’s a clear spit up stain. He shrugs and laughs.
“Parenting is so very glamourous, isn’t it? Are you ready to head home? I don’t want to rush you if you’re not finished with your visit.”
“I’m almost ready, yeah. I just want to finish up my drink and enjoy the Halloween scenery for a minute before we go.”
He leans in and kisses Briar on top of her sweet-smelling head, and then gently lifts her out of the baby carrier. Holding her in one arm, he pulls me close with the other, then kisses me like we haven’t seen each other in a year.
My entire body is tingling when we break apart. Thankfully, we’ve gotten good at controlling our sexually charged magic, especially in public. We’ve had lots of opportunities to practice, especially when my pregnancy hormones were completely out of control.
The three of us sit down on a nearby bench, Briar snuggled in Ezra’s strong arms. Every storefront is decorated for the holiday, jack-o’-lanterns in front of each door. I take another sip of my drink and almost choke when one of those jack-o’-lanterns starts to float toward us, spinning in a lazy circle.
Briar’s arms are outstretched and she’s kicking her feet in excitement. I glance at Ezra and a soft smile pulls at my lips when I see him watching her with proud amusement.
“Born with more raw power than half a coven,” he says, stroking a hand over her delicate curls.
“That’s what happens when you breed your mate on an altar under a full moon on Halloween.”
He laughs and we quietly fist bump. Briar’s powers are already impressive, and she’s only three months old. She’s going to be a force to be reckoned with when she comes of age.
I lean back and look over at Ezra, who’s watching me intently. I know what he’s going to say before he says it.
“I’m so lucky,” he says. “So incredibly lucky.” I send a pulse of pure, unfiltered love down our bond in response. I have no words for how I feel about him and the life we’ve built together over the past year. The family we’ve created.
Plus, I get to live in a castle. So, that rocks.
I look up at the moon, once again remembering how different my life was before Ezra. Remembering how scared we were in those moments before we knew we’d broken the curse.
He slides closer on the bench and wraps an arm around me, kissing my temple. “You were my salvation that night. You still are.”
I shake my head, my eyes stinging with tears. “And you were mine. I just didn’t realize what you were saving me from.” A life of fear, timidity, never claiming a power that’s my birthright.
“Willow,” he says quietly, and then kisses me again, a little longer and deeper than is appropriate given that we’re on abench in the middle of a public street. When he pulls away, he flicks his finger and draws the jack-o’-lantern Briar was playing with closer, making it float right beside us, just as he had a year ago to test his magic. To prove that the curse was broken, and he wasn’t about to die. He snaps his fingers and it starts to glow with a soft gold light that I feel through our bond. It’s love and gratitude and excitement for the future. It’s friendship and desire and trust.
Briar stretches her chubby little hands up to towards the slowly rotating jack-o’-lantern, watching in awe as it hovers just out of reach. I lean my head on Ezra’s shoulder and he sighs. I feel his contentment wash over me.
“As much as I might wish to, I can’t regret anything about the curse. I’d relive every second of it, because it brought me to you.”
I laugh softly. “That’s so unfairly romantic, Mr. Blackthorne. How am I supposed to compete with that?”
“The ball’s in your court, Ms. Ashwood. And don’t pretend you don’t love it.”
“Yeah,” I admit, finishing my drink and tossing it into a nearby trash can. “I do.” Just like I love every single thing about my crazy, magical life that would’ve felt impossible a year ago. “I really, really do.”
Thank you so much for reading Ezra and Willow’s story! This was such a fun one to write for me—something a little bit different, with magical elements, but still the same smutty goodness as my other stories. If you want more Ezra and Willow, click here to get access to their exclusive bonus epilogue, where you get a peek at some sweet (but still filthy) married sex with more magical mishaps.
Ready for your next obsession?
He’s her most infuriating client.
Twenty-five years older.
And she just kidnapped him…
Possessive. Protective. Absolutely filthy.
Read Accidentally Kidnapping the Mountain Man, the first book in the Honey Ridge series free in KU.
“I’m going to teach you how to open up your throat and let me in,” he says tracing a finger down the front of my throat. “Teach you how nice it feels to have your little belly full of Daddy’s cum.”
