Page 61 of The Magic We Made

“Carry you into the bedroom?” I ask, even though I know what she’s going to say. I do try to be polite to all my sexual partners, however, and give them the option. Plus I want to make sure we’re having bedroom sex and not doing it out here in the living room like animals. Although that would be fine with me, too. But I really do want to see her bedroom.

“I think I can walk,” she says, and starts heading toward the back of the house.

I keep myself from saying anything too embarrassing—such ashot diggity dog—and follow her into the Promised Land.

Frankie’s bedroom is even better than I’d imagined. Her bed is huge—a California king—the light is low... but not so low that I can’t see the massive flat-screen on the wall and the remote control on the nightstand beside... is that a bowl ofpopcorn?

Whatever. It doesn’t matter. I need to get my game face on.

Frankie is taking off her boots. I want to impress her with my gentlemanly manners, so I cross the room to help unzip her dress.

“Oh, thanks,” she says when I seize the long ribbon attached to the zipper, and she realizes what I’m doing. She lifts all her long, dark hair and turns so she’s standing with her back to me, exposing the tender skin of her neck, one of the most erotic (in my opinion) places on a woman’s body.

There’s a possibility I may have groaned, because she asks, “Everything okay back there?”

I press my lips to the warm, smooth skin on the nape of her neck. She smells of her shampoo, light and coconutty, and of woman, earthy and clean.

“You have no idea,” I say when I lift my head, “how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

“Kiss the back of my neck?”

“Kiss you, in general. I’m not choosy where.”

She sounds surprised. “Really?”

“How could you not know?” I’m pulling the zipper down, watching as the red material parts and reveals more and more of her smooth, tanned back. “I thought I was pretty obvious.”

Now she sounds amused. “Nothing about you is obvious, Ash.”

“That’s good to know.” The zipper has lowered enough to reveal she’s wearing a black bra. A blacklacebra, which happens to be my favorite. Althoughanybra is my favorite bra. “I feel like I’m pretty much an open book.”

“Do you?”

“Oh, yes.” Now the zipper has gone so low I can see her panties. They’re black lace, too, and match the bra. I feel a spurt of pure, unadulterated lust shoot through me. I want to grab the back of those panties with my teeth and yank them down over that taut, heart-shaped ass I’ve been admiring from afar for so long.

Only I don’t want to scare her. So I settle for running my hands over that ass. It’s everything I’d hoped it would be, and more... especially when she arches her back and leans into me with a sigh.

“I’ve been told I’m actually a pretty funny and charming guy,” I whisper in her ear.

“Oh, yeah?” She turns around in my arms to face me. The red dress, completely unzipped, falls to her bedroom floor. “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”

“No. I don’t know. Maybe.” To be honest, I’m not really paying that much attention to the conversation. The view is too impressive. “Do I?”

“Yes,” she says, and slips her arms around my neck. Her eyes, when she looks up at me, are heavy-lidded with something I’m hoping is desire. “All I do all day long is listen to people talk. It’s a fulfilling job, and I love it... but sometimes all I want is a little quiet.” She leans against me, rises up on her tiptoes, and kisses my earlobe. “Is that okay?”

“I can be quiet,” I assure her. I tighten my grip on her ass and lift her up so I can carry her to the big, wide bed a few feet away. “You’ll be amazed at how fucking quiet I can be.”

And then I show her.

Emma

I’m nearly elbow deep in a hole by an old elm tree when Haley walks up to me.

“What did Trina say to you?” she asks.

I lie. I don’t know why. There’s just something about Haley lately.... “N-nothing.”

Her eyebrows go up. Way up. She’s the only one of us who hasn’t had to sacrifice her hair for Hecate, and I can’t help noticing how nice it—and her eyebrows—look. It’s almost like she’s been using a flat iron and shaping her brows in a mirror somewhere.