A Little Wicked (The Bewitching Hour Book #4)(37)

But when she lifted her ass up in the air and let out a little, “Please...” he couldn’t stop himself from lining himself up to her entrance and sliding deep in one smooth motion. This time they both caught their breath together, but Derek couldn’t wait long before he started to move.

He rested his weight on one fist on the mattress and reached around with his free hand, traveling over her stomach until he found the nub between her legs. She started to come up again, but he let go of the mattress just long enough to push her back down.

Thoughts of everything they’d been through pounded through his head, and he thrust faster until he could distract even himself.

All he wanted right now was Sam. To be surrounded by the feel of her. The scent of her. Her warmth.

As the tension crept higher, he bent forward, trying to touch her as much as possible. His mind wasn’t there enough to play her body the way he wanted, but with every thrust, she would grind against his hand, and thank fuck that was enough to get her off again.

She let out a scream and threw her head back. He gripped her hips tight and didn’t let himself think at all as the primal rhythm seemed to take over. It was the closest he’d ever felt to Sam. Not just because of how physically close they were, but it was almost like magic as his entire world narrowed down to one single focal point: her.

And when he came, he bit onto her shoulder so he wouldn’t scream loud enough to wake the entire building and she wiggled against him in a way that seemed to make the orgasm go on and on.

But as great as the sex had been, the distraction was only momentary.

Because as soon as he came down from the high, the real world was still waiting.





Sam softly shut the door and took in a deep breath the second she was in the hallway. Being with Derek wasn’t suffocating. Far from it, actually. With him, she felt free for the first time in a long time. But that freedom had a price.

Because she shouldn’t feel lighthearted right now. She should be afraid. She should be consumed with thoughts of her family falling apart. It was hard to remain centered when she was with him, because when he was around, he seemed to be the center of her universe.

Maybe that was why Claudia felt the need to erase him from her mind. That kind of all-consuming passion was a distraction no matter what way she looked at it.

She twisted her hands together and tried to remember all the reasons that she and Derek were perfect together. All the reasons she would be stupid to leave him.

But all that came to her were all the ways she’d hurt him and all the times his life had been in danger because of her.

The door to Derek’s apartment opened and he stuck his head out. “Something interesting happening out here?” He looked skeptically at the patchy walls of the apartment hallway. She could tell that he was still shirtless, but she wasn’t sure whether he’d bothered to put his pants on. Not sure whether she wanted him to or not....

She shook her head. “I just needed some time alone.”

A look of concern crossed his face and she wished she’d chosen her words differently. “I mean....” Nope. Nothing better came to mind. Damn it. “I might go for a walk.”

“Claire is downstairs,” he reminded her.

“So? If Abigail comes for her, what am I supposed to do? I’ve never done a thing to hurt Abigail.” She winced and shook her head. “The darkness,” she corrected. “I’m not even as annoying as a fly she has to swat away. Claire can hurt her. You can handle yourself and you don’t even have magic. I don’t even know why I’m here anymore. If anything, I’m more of a liability than anyone else.” Even Parker seemed to have more of a handle on things than she did right now.

Derek was quiet for a moment.

He was probably thinking of something to say to cheer her up, and another wave of guilt hit her. He shouldn’t have to feel responsible for cheering her up. He shouldn’t have to feel responsible for any of this. Everything that was happening was her fault or her family’s and now he was dragged into the middle of it.

“I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the apartment.

She sighed and ran her hands over the front of her black pants. She wanted to keep wallowing in her self-pity for a while longer. Tomorrow, she could muster up the courage to function again, but for now, in this moment, wasn’t she allowed some self-indulgence?

Derek came out a second later and was now, unfortunately, fully dressed in jeans, brown leather jacket, and black sneakers. He turned his keys in the door to make sure the locks were in place and then turned to Sam. “Let’s go.” He started for the stairs.

She followed him and tried to read his mood from his body language, but didn’t get anything. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere,” he said.

She let him be ambiguous as they went down the flights of stairs and he held the door open for her. It was about three in the morning and the city, even though it never fully slept, was pretty quiet. Derek turned right and she followed. Everything took on an eerie quality at three in the morning. A bit quieter than normal. The shadows longer. The noises more sinister.

Even though Abigail had soundly kicked her ass multiple times, it was hard to be afraid. She was certain Derek was carrying a weapon, and when she wasn’t against the darkness, Sam could handle herself. She had more control over herself than ever, and thanks to her recent bout with Derek, she was refreshed and recharged.