Witch Way To Jingle Page 6

  It was Christmas Eve, a night he normally spent with family, but not this year. Tonight was special, and just for the two of them.

  “You asked me one time why I never let anyone close.” Willow’s voice was so low, he had to lower his head closer to hers to hear it. “You were right, I don’t.”

  Dominic could tell whatever she was about to say was painful for her, and he cupped her chin, tilting her head up until she met his gaze. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, baby.”

  Her eyelids lowered, her long lashes fluttering before she opened her eyes to look at him again. “I had a brother. His name was William.” She hesitated, then whispered, “He was my twin. My best friend. We did everything together. I lost him to cancer when we were seven. By the time the doctors found out about it, it was too late.”

  “Shit, Willow. I’m so sorry.”

  Willow laid her head on his shoulder, her forehead resting against his neck. “A year later, my parents died in a car accident. They were the only family I had, so I was sent to live in foster care. No one wanted a messed up eight-year-old child, so there was no chance at adoption. I was quiet, sullen, angry.”

  “Of course, you were. You just lost everyone you loved.”

  “Potential parents don’t care why you act the way you do, Dominic. They just want a perfect, ready-made family, and I didn’t fit in the picture of those families.”

  Dominic stayed quiet, even though he wanted nothing more than to argue and tell her how wonderful she was, and how any family would have been lucky to have her. He knew she needed to talk through the pain he could feel radiating from her.

  “When I was in seventh grade, I turned my life around. I began to get straight A’s instead of C’s and D’s. I was determined to make something of myself, because everyone I knew didn’t think I could. I ended up with a full ride scholarship to college, where I met Jenny. She was older than me by a couple of years, but when we met, we just clicked—besties from the start.”

  The flames in the fireplace crackled loudly, and a piece of wood fell off another, causing it to roll close to the edge of the grate. Dominic casually waved his hand, moving it back to decrease the danger of a fire in the living room.

  “She was assaulted one night on the way home from studying at the library. I was supposed to be with her but stayed in my dorm room because I wasn’t feeling well.” Willow’s hand clenched the front of his shirt tightly as she whispered, “They beat her pretty badly and left her in an alley. She didn’t make it.”

  Dominic placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, then rubbed his chin against it. Hell, no wonder she was so wary about getting close to anyone.

  “After that, I shut down. I refused to make friends. I kept to myself. I went to school and work, that was it.”

  “Until you met Desi?” he guessed.

  Willow nodded, her grip on his shirt loosening. “Yes. That woman is so damn stubborn, she wouldn’t let me block her out.”

  Dominic grinned, thankful to his sister-in-law for her tenacity. “I’m glad.”

  “She felt my magic. She said it called to her, and she knew we were destined to be best friends and for me to be a part of her coven.”

  “I’ve heard of that happening before,” Dominic admitted.

  “Well, after six months of her constantly badgering me, I finally caved,” Willow said, looking up at him and grinning. “Best decision I ever made!”

  “Oh yeah?” he teased, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “That’s the best one?”

  Willow’s cheeks flushed a deep pink, and she ducked her head. “One of the best ones.”

  “So, that’s what you meant about me not leaving you like everyone else?”

  “You heard that, did you?” Willow murmured, sliding a hand up under his sweater to rest it over his heart as she leaned her head back down on his shoulder.

  “I did.”

  Willow was quiet for a moment, and then she nodded. “Yes, it is. Everyone I’ve ever loved has died.”

  “Except for Desi,” Dominic muttered, moving his hand down to slip it under her shirt, so that he could touch her soft skin.

  “And you.”

  Dominic froze, sure he’d heard wrong. Willow had never hinted at loving him, even after he was shot, so he’d kept his feelings to himself, afraid to ruin the closeness they now had.

  “It nearly killed me when you were hurt, Dominic,” she whispered, her fingers sliding through the hair on his chest. “I thought I lost you. Even merged with your family, I couldn’t find you at first.”

  “Wait, what are you talking about?” Dominic asked in confusion, pulling back from her, so he could look in her eyes. “You merged your magic with my family’s? Why would you do that?” He couldn’t imagine his Willow merging her magic with anyone, and giving them any kind of power over her, except him. And, if he was honest, he still couldn’t believe she chose to bind their powers together the way they had.

  “Your family never told you?”

  Dominic slowly shook his head, his brow furrowing as he thought back. “No. No one mentioned anything.”

  Willow’s hand went to his chest again, right over his heart. She touched him there a lot now, as if it made her feel more connected to him. “I couldn’t feel you, Dominic. When you were in the hospital, I sat in that waiting room and tried so damn hard, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t feel you.”

  “Oh, baby.” He couldn’t imagine what that would be like. Ever since their bond had snapped into place, he’d felt her. If she was happy, sad, or pissed off, he knew.

  Willow’s breath caught as she rasped, “Your grandmother said it was because you were on a path between our world and the Goddess.”

  “I was dying.”

  “Yes.” Willow’s big, green eyes filled with tears. “I couldn’t let you go, Dominic. If you did, I would have followed.”

  “Willow, no.”

  “We are tied together by the Goddess for eternity. I couldn’t have stayed here without you.” Before he could reply, she went on, “Your mother had the idea of merging our magic together so I would have more power to try to connect with you.”

  “You did that willingly?”

  “I would do anything for you,” Willow said softly. “But it didn’t work, not until my sisters joined their magic with ours.”

  “Holy shit.” He couldn’t imagine the amount of power that had to have been running through the hospital that night.

  “It worked.” Willow’s chin quivered, a slow smile tilting up the corners of her mouth. “I found you, and the Goddess gave you back to me.”

  “Remind me to thank her,” Dominic muttered, his hand going to caress the curve of her cheek.

  “She told me that I deserve to love and be loved.”

  “She’s right,” Dominic whispered, lowering his lips to hers. “I love you, Willow Ryder. So damn much.”

  “I love you, too, Dom. Enough to follow you into death.”

  “Fuck, baby, you say the sweetest things.”

  Dominic claimed her mouth with his, slipping his tongue past her lips to find hers. He groaned, sliding his hands up under her shirt and over her back until he came to the clasp of her bra. He made short work of undoing it, then broke the kiss and leaned back to remove both her shirt and bra.

  It was the first time since he’d come home that they’d shared more than a few kisses, and he wasn’t holding back. He needed her. He was done waiting.

  Dominic felt Willow’s hands sliding his T-shirt up, and he moved quickly to help her slip it off. He wanted to feel those hands gliding all over his body, her skin flush against his. It had been too long since he was inside her—loving her.

  “Dominic,” she breathed, her hands going to cup her breasts, flicking her own nipples. It was so fucking hot; he almost came in his pants like a teenager.

  Dominic pushed the yoga pants she was wearing down and off, along with her panties, his jeans quickly following. As soon as he had them o
ff, Willow threw her leg over his hips, straddling him. Her mouth found his, her hand going to his thick erection. He groaned when she positioned his cock at her wet entrance and began to lower herself down onto him.

  “Fuck, this isn’t going to last long,” he warned, unable to stop himself from arching up into her, burying himself in her wet heat. “I wanted to go slow with you, Willow. Show you how much you mean to me. How much I love you—need you.”

  “I already know all of that,” Willow growled, grasping the back of the couch as she began to ride him. “Right now, I just need you to move!”

  That he could do. Dominic wrapped his hands around her hips and pushed up into her, matching the rhythm she set. Her breasts were bouncing in front of him, and he couldn’t stop himself from tasting her. Sucking her nipple inside his mouth, he played with it with his tongue, loving the way it felt.

  “Dominic!” Willow cried, her breath coming out raggedly as she moved up and down on his dick. “I’m so close!”

  Dominic let go of her nipple and thrust deeper—harder into her. “Come for me, baby,” he demanded. “You feel so fucking good.”

  Willow screamed Dominic’s name as her pussy convulsed around him, pulling his own orgasm from him. It started with a tingling at the base of his spine, then his balls drew up and he unloaded inside of her. His Willow. His life.

  They sat like that in front of the fire for several minutes, Dominic still buried deep inside her, before he kissed her gently and pulled back to look at her. “I know this probably isn’t the best time, but I can’t wait any longer, Willow.”

  “The best time for what?” Willow asked in confusion as she ran her hands over his shoulders and down to rest on his upper arms.

  Dominic opened his hand, palm up in front of her, and a small, dark blue velvet box appeared. “It’s unconventional, but so are we.”

  “What?”

  Willow slowly took the box from him and opened it, gasping at the large sapphire surrounded by several small diamonds.

  “It was my great grandmother’s,” Dominic said, removing it from the box. “It was given to me when she passed away to give to the woman I chose to spend the rest of my life with.” Taking her hand in his, he slowly slid it on her ring finger. “I choose you.”

  A tremulous smile crossed Willow’s lips as she whispered, “I choose you too, Dominic.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Willow took one last look at where Dominic stood by his car waiting for her. He leaned back against it, arms crossed over his thick chest, a small grin on his face. He’d wanted to come inside with her, but this was something she needed to do herself. She had to show the other attorneys in the law firm that she was strong and capable, in case things went the way she was pretty positive they were going to, and she ended up being pitted against any of them in court in the future.

  Inhaling deeply, Willow turned and climbed the stairs of the old building where Johnson and Johnson Law Firm had their offices on the fourth floor. They’d been there since before Willow came to work for them and would probably still be there ten years down the road. The outside was older, but the inside was all remodeled and immaculate.

  Willow nodded to the security guard who sat at the front desk before making her way over to the elevators. Stepping inside, she punched the button to the fourth floor and waited impatiently for the doors to shut. She was praying Derek was on vacation still. It was New Year’s Eve, so he shouldn’t be back in town yet, but he’d been so unpredictable lately, she wasn’t sure he even left town. She just wanted to go in, talk to Mr. Johnson, and grab whatever she needed to from her office, and then leave again.

  The doors were just about closed when a hand appeared, prying them open. Willow cringed inwardly when the man himself stepped in, caging her up against the back of the elevator as the door closed behind him. When it started to rise, he reached back and punched the button that made it stop, suspended between floors.

  “Willow, it’s nice to see you.”

  Willow’s nose scrunched up when the smell of whiskey filled the air. “Derek, are you drunk?”

  He leaned in closer, and Willow let out a small squeak of surprise when he wrapped one of his hands around her neck as if to hold her in place. “You’ve been ignoring my phone calls, Willow.”

  It was true. She’d received several calls over the last couple of weeks from both Derek’s cell phone and the work number and had ignored every single one of them. She’d been focusing on Dominic and didn’t have time for Derek’s games.

  “I suggest you get your hands off me, Derek.”

  He wasn’t hurting her, just trying to intimidate her. Unfortunately for him, she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. She had Dominic on her side, along with her magic. Derek Johnson couldn’t hurt her. She doubted he even had the balls to try. He was just a dirty old man who had fixated on her for some reason. Well, that was going to change after today or she would slap a restraining order on him so fast it would make his head spin.

  “What are you going to do if I don’t?”

  A slow smile spread over Willow’s face as she cocked her head to the side and lifted an eyebrow. Her gaze going to the buttons behind him, she narrowed her eyes on the number four. Pushing her power lightly toward it, satisfaction filled her when the light behind it lit up and the elevator started to move again.

  “This is your last chance, Derek,” she warned, her gaze meeting his.

  “How the fuck did you do that?” Derek demanded, his eyes darkening in anger.

  “Magic,” Willow whispered, as the doors opened behind him, showing his grandfather waiting in front of them, probably to take the elevator down to go to lunch.

  “You fucking witch,” Derek snarled, so pissed with her that he was unaware that they were drawing a crowd. “You can’t ignore me. I will do whatever I want to you whenever I want.”

  “And if I say no?”

  “You won’t.”

  Willow wanted to laugh at the spectacle the jackass was making of himself, but she couldn’t. Not yet. “And why is that?”

  “Because, I will make sure you never make partner if you do.”

  “You see, that’s where your problem lies,” Willow said, meeting his grandfather’s gaze over his shoulder. “I have no desire to be a part of this law firm anymore, partner or not. My resignation is in your email, Mr. Johnson. I believe Derek just made it perfectly clear as to why.”

  Derek froze, before slowly lowering his hand from her neck and turning to look at his grandfather. Willow didn’t wait for either of them to say anything. She slid past him and left the elevator, stalking down the hall to her office. This might be the last time she was ever in this building, but it wouldn’t be the last time she practiced law. She already had three interviews scheduled with various law firms in the city, and she refused to settle for anything less than what she wanted. She had a lot of money saved up and didn’t need to work if she didn’t want to. She worked because she enjoyed what she did, and she loved helping others.

  Willow stood in the doorway of her office, her gaze skimming around the room, before she realized there was nothing of importance that she wanted to take with her. Her briefcase was already at home, and she had no personal items. No pictures, or plants, or special notebooks and pens. Nothing. The office was as stale as her life used to be before Dominic walked into it.

  After one last look, she turned around and left. Derek and his grandfather were still standing in front of the elevators, and it looked like they’d been arguing. Derek’s face was dark red, and Mr. Johnson’s held a thunderous expression.

  “Willow, I don’t know what my nincompoop of a grandson did this time, but we do not want you to leave. We were actually just getting ready to offer you a partner position in the company.”

  He didn’t know what his grandson did? Wasn’t he just standing in front of the elevator when Derek showed his douchebag side with his threats and his hand around her throat?

  “Thank you, Sir, but it’s a l
ittle late for that.”

  When he frowned, Willow stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the main floor. “Thank you for the opportunity you gave me with Johnson and Johnson, Sir. I will always appreciate it.”

  “Dammit, Willow! You can’t just leave like this! I had plans for us.”

  “Those were your plans, Derek, not mine.”

  “Willow!”

  When he started to come toward her, Willow couldn’t help herself. The doors were almost shut when she waved her hand toward him. His belt buckle came undone, along with his pants, and they fell to his ankles, showing the black velvet thong he wore beneath them. There was muffled laughter as he struggled to pull his pants back up, and Willow waved as the doors closed on his shocked gaze. She was sure he wouldn’t follow, not after she gave him a little hint of her power.

  A peacefulness filled Willow when she walked out of the front doors of the building, and she saw Dominic there waiting for her. She walked over to him and right into his awaiting arms. This was what it felt like to love and be loved. If it wasn’t for the Goddess above, she never would have given herself the chance to find out. Raising her head, she sent a silent thank you above.

  “You okay?” Dominic asked, as he lowered his head to kiss her gently on the lips.

  Willow smiled. “More than okay.”

  “Let’s go home, love.”

  Willow wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. “I love you, Dom.”

  “Love you too, baby.”

  Other Books By Dawn Sullivan

  RARE Series

  Book 1 Nico’s Heart

  Book 2 Phoenix’s Fate

  Book 3 Trace’s Temptation

  Book 4 Saving Storm

  Book 5 Angel’s Destiny

  Book 6 Jaxson’s Justice

  Book 7 Rikki’s Awakening

  White River Wolves Series

  Book 1 Josie’s Miracle

  Book 2 Slade’s Desire

  Book 3 Janie’s Salvation

  Book 4 Sable’s Fire