Enchanted Autumn, page 28
As if on cue, Hazel’s stomach growled.
“And I think that’s a yes. I’ll go downstairs and text Rita you’re alive. You get dressed, missy. Let’s go.”
Several hours later, Hazel felt somewhat better. Her chest still ached with the feeling of emptiness like a part of her was physically missing, but now she was full of pancakes and her head felt a lot clearer after a walk in the Salem Woods. Being out in nature, even on a cold cloudy day, was great for clearing out the cobwebs. She was thankful she didn’t have to go into work and that Rita was okay working the shop on her own two days in a row. She didn’t think she had the mental wherewithal to deal with making change and helping customers that day.
Around three o’clock, after their hike, she’d dropped Roxy off in town as she had several tours to lead that afternoon and evening, and she’d driven home. She found Beezle waiting for her, and she petted him and gave him some treats after hanging up her coat and hat in the foyer.
Even though she’d taken a shower not long ago, she felt cold again, and she had the brilliant idea of filling her clawfoot tub in the guest bath with water and bubbles and having a nice long soak. With a glass of wine. Why not? There were no rules now.
The hot water melted away the cold of the day, and Hazel relaxed. She sipped the glass of red, set it back down, closed her eyes and leaned back against the inflatable bath pillow that made the bubble bath that much more comfortable. She had Brandi Carlile playing on her little portable speaker, and she let herself unwind completely.
While with Roxy, it’d been easier to think about things other than Elizabeth. They’d talked about Roxy’s plans to teach ski and snowboard lessons that winter, and how possibly Hazel would do a snow-cation up at the same resort so they could hang out in the evenings. They’d discussed Thanksgiving plans as well, since it was their tradition to do the holiday dinner together up at Roxy’s cabin every year along with her mom, who lived in Maine, too. The end of the year, with all its hectic energy, was not far off. In the woods, they’d talked about the books they were reading and shows they were watching, and Hazel was extremely grateful that Roxy had a thousand different topics to bring up that had zero to do with Elizabeth.
In the quiet of the house, though, all she could think about was Elizabeth. How warm her smile was when she looked at Hazel; how hard she’d worked at the shop the last few weeks to help make things less stressful for Hazel; how easy things had been between them in the countless minutes they’d already spent doing mundane things together like drinking coffee, making dinner, driving in the car. Now, with Brandi Carlile’s song about forgiving the love that hurt you playing on the speaker, Hazel felt a rush of sadness.
She let herself slip under the surface. The hot water on her head and face felt good; it distracted from the tears that’d been about to well up in her eyes again.
She heard a voice from a distance, and she slowly emerged from the water and listened. It was silent for a moment, and then she heard it again.
“Hazel?”
It was muffled by the many walls and doors that stood between them, but she definitely heard a female voice saying her name.
“Hazel?”
The voice was louder, closer, more insistent now, and Hazel recognized it instantly.
Elizabeth.
She stood up quickly in the tub, her body covered in bubbles, and stepped out onto the bath rug. She threw on her plush white bathrobe and twisted a towel around her head. She was dripping wet underneath the robe, but she didn’t care. She flung open the bathroom door and stepped into the hallway. “Elizabeth?”
The voice was coming from downstairs, but Hazel could hear footsteps on the creaky old steps and before she knew it, she saw Elizabeth coming toward her, her face streaked with tears, her hair blown askew. Her entire body was thrumming with anticipation, and yet she couldn’t move. She was rooted to the spot, thrilled that Elizabeth had come back but also a tiny bit worried about what would happen next. Her mind was so confused that for a second, she wondered if Elizabeth had forgotten something at the house. Gloves? A hat? She wasn’t really here, couldn’t actually be there for her. Could she?
Before she knew it, Elizabeth was folding her into her arms, crying, and she was crying, too.
“I’m so sorry, Hazel. I’m an idiot. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” sobbed Elizabeth, her whole body shaking with emotion.
Hazel hugged her all the more tightly. “I can’t believe you’re here. You’re really here.”
“I was so stupid…” She cried and cried, clutching Hazel even tighter.
“It’s okay. You’re here now. No one is stupid. I’m so glad you’re here. I can’t believe you’re here.”
The hot tears streaming down Hazel’s face were now tears of joy and relief and disbelief that this was actually happening.
After a moment, Elizabeth pulled away enough to be able to look at Hazel, her arms still firmly holding her closer, her hands now warming up against the fluffy bathrobe, and Hazel could feel desire replacing her fear and apprehensions.
Elizabeth met her gaze cautiously and hopefully. “I was so wrong. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sorry. I love you, Hazel, and I should never have accused you of lying or making up stories. I’ve known you for so short a time, but you are so, so important to me. And I know you’d never lie to me or trick me, and maybe I’ll never fully understand, but I want you exactly as you are. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Yes. Yes, you are forgiven, my darling, my sweet,” said Hazel, the words tumbling out of her mouth. She wanted to call Elizabeth every sweet silly name she could think of. “I love you, too. I hardly know how it happened, but I do.”
The last word was hardly out of her mouth when Elizabeth’s lips were hot on hers in a passionate kiss that lit up Hazel’s entire body with heated desire. She moaned and Elizabeth slipped her tongue between her lips. Desperate desire filled her body, a tingling warmth igniting between her legs.
Elizabeth moved her tongue around Hazel’s mouth, their warmth and wetness mingling. She tightened her hold around Hazel’s torso and hugged her close, and Hazel was suddenly keenly aware that under the fluffy bathrobe, she was completely and utterly naked. Elizabeth sighed and pushed Hazel up against the wall in the hallway, moving her hands to the opening of the robe, and pulling the fabric aside to reveal Hazel’s breasts.
“Oh God,” she moaned, moving her mouth to Hazel’s nipples, first one, then the other, nibbling and sucking until Hazel arched her back with desire, sighing and groaning with each little love bite. Encouraged by her reaction, Elizabeth began massaging Hazel’s breasts with her hands while moving her lips across Hazel’s chest up over her collarbone and up to her neck, pausing to suck and bite her neck harder and harder until Hazel was sure she was seeing stars.
Hazel hardly knew where she was at that point, except that she knew she was still standing up because her legs were tired and heavy with desire.
“Oh God, let’s go to the bedroom,” she murmured.
“Not yet,” said Elizabeth, her voice low and raspy. She gave Hazel a naughty glance before kneeling down in front of her, parting the robe still farther, and placing her hands under Hazel’s backside, cupping her buttocks with one hand while spreading Hazel open with her thumb and forefinger with the other.
Hazel uttered a small moan of surprise and intense, hot desire. Soon, though, she couldn’t make any sound at all; she was overwhelmed as Elizabeth began softly probing her with her tongue, licking and stroking her all over.
The sensation was enough to knock her off her feet, but Elizabeth’s hands stayed strong and supported her, and her entire body became one with the sensation of soft but overwhelming electricity wherever Elizabeth’s tongue came in contact with Hazel’s body. When she finally allowed her tongue to circle around her center, Hazel felt such a jolt of desire that she thought she might have climaxed. Her entire body shook with the feel of it. But no, it wasn’t the end yet. She didn’t want it to be. She wanted this to go on forever.
Elizabeth, sensing Hazel’s growing eagerness, stopped immediately and stood up, gazing into Hazel’s eyes and taking her by the hand.
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she said.
There, they undressed Elizabeth before sliding Hazel’s robe onto the floor, where the towel wrapped around her hair soon joined it.
Their bodies melted into one another, skin on skin, hands exploring all the softness between them, with Elizabeth on top of Hazel. Her mouth found Hazel’s even as her fingers began sliding between Hazel’s legs, gently caressing and rubbing, and yet again Hazel felt the intense heat and need building.
“God, that feels good.” She sighed into Elizabeth’s mouth.
“Good,” said Elizabeth, her lips curling seductively before latching onto Hazel’s neck, sucking there until she was sure there would be a hickey the next morning. But Hazel didn’t care. All she could think about was the heat and the need building steadily between her legs, down to her toes, and up her stomach to her breasts, as Elizabeth’s fingers moved dexterously over the slick wetness between her legs and then slipped inside her, over and over again until Hazel felt her entire body go stiff and explosions of pleasure and desire coursed through her.
She convulsed with erotic pleasure even as Elizabeth’s fingers never stopped playing with her. She came and came again, over and over, until her entire body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and she was bucking beneath Elizabeth and shouting and crying, “Oh God, oh God, oh God.”
Finally, Hazel lay spent next to Elizabeth, their bodies wrapped up against one another, both of them sticky with sweat and hot with their lovemaking. Through her haze of pleasure, Hazel smiled up at Elizabeth and planted a soft kiss on her chin.
“Mmm…that was amazing.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” She ran her hand over Hazel’s body, sending little fires of desire coursing through her. This was going to be a long, but very pleasurable night, thought Hazel.
“What are you smiling about?” said Elizabeth, cocking an eyebrow.
“Oh, nothing. Just how much I want to make you moan with pleasure next.”
“Oh really?”
“Oh yeah.”
Refreshed after cuddling, Hazel sat up and threw her leg over Elizabeth’s naked body, straddling her hips low so that the warmth and wetness between her legs was pressed into Elizabeth’s.
Elizabeth’s expression of surprise was soon replaced with one of intense desire, and she pulled Hazel down toward her so their breasts were pressed together, as were their lips. They kissed intensely, fiery passion lighting up their bodies yet again, and Hazel ground her hips against Elizabeth’s before the two of them rolled to their sides, their entire bodies pressed together.
Hazel slipped her hands around Elizabeth’s firm buttocks and squeezed as she moved her lips to her lover’s neck and breasts. She sucked on each nipple until it puckered, and she could hear Elizabeth moan with pleasure. She gave her ass a little slap before squeezing it again.
“I could just hold on to your ass forever,” said Hazel, her voice low and full of desire.
“That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
Hazel gave a playful laugh before planting her lips onto Elizabeth’s, stifling both of their giggles and taking them back to where they’d left off: hot and heavy, naked, bodies entwined. Hazel plunged her tongue into Elizabeth’s mouth, and Elizabeth moaned with pleasure. Her hand played with Hazel’s breast, and Hazel could feel herself getting wetter as she brought Elizabeth closer to her apex.
She slipped her hand between Elizabeth’s legs and found the soft folds of flesh there, warm and wet for the taking. She slipped one, then two fingers inside, rubbing in and out, while she slid her thumb over Elizabeth’s clit. Elizabeth’s entire body shuddered with desire, and she threw her leg over Hazel’s hips to make it easier for Hazel to touch her. They kissed again passionately, deeply, as Hazel slid her fingers in and out of Elizabeth’s wetness. Soon Elizabeth’s breath became ragged, and suddenly Hazel felt her fingers squeezed with pleasure and passion.
Elizabeth’s own voice rang out with pleasure as her hips moved back and forth against Hazel’s hand, squeezing as much pleasure as she could, her body out of her own control and completely given over to desire.
After a moment, Elizabeth sighed with contentment and lay back, spent and covered with the glow of desire.
“Oh God, that was good,” she said, her voice still breathless. Hazel nestled her head on Elizabeth’s shoulder and lay her arm across her hot, sweaty body. Slowly, Elizabeth’s breath evened out, and she pulled her arm around Hazel, holding her close. “Magical, even, I dare say,” added Elizabeth, giving Hazel a sly look.
Hazel tensed, feeling a little uncertain, but after a second, Elizabeth’s face broke into a smile, and she began to laugh. She pulled Hazel into a full body caress, and Hazel relaxed against her, starting to giggle and guffaw after a moment of hesitation.
Yes, it had been a magical afternoon.
Later, much later, after more kissing and cuddling, they showered together, dressed, and ordered Chinese food. They were both starving after their afternoon acrobatics, and a feast of lo mein, crab Rangoon, egg rolls, and Hunan chicken was just the ticket.
Hazel could hardly believe that Elizabeth was there with her, that they’d had amazing, delicious sex, that they were bantering and ordering food together. It felt surreal but also completely normal. While she was delighted by it all, she felt she had to clear the air a bit.
They’d just finished eating and were studying their fortunes.
“Mine says, ‘Good things come to those who wait,’” said Elizabeth. Her eyes glittered. “In bed.”
“Especially in bed,” said Hazel, giggling along with her. “Mine says, ‘Lower your expectations and you will always be satisfied.’”
“No,” said Elizabeth, disgusted. “That can’t be right.”
Hazel showed her the piece of paper.
“How awful.”
“They can’t all be winners,” said Hazel with a shrug and a chuckle.
“Just so you know, you have exceeded my expectations.” Elizabeth paused and her expression changed to one more thoughtful. “I gave things a lot of thought before coming here today. I wanted us to have a shot at something special. I knew I had to find my own way of dealing with what you told me yesterday.”
“That I’m a witch.”
“Yes. About being a witch. And having a family that is magical.”
Hazel felt a tremor of anxiety. She wasn’t sure where this was leading. “Yes. My whole family.”
“I was thinking, maybe you could tell me a bit more about it all? I think the more I know, the better I can understand it.” She smiled shyly at Hazel. “Would you mind telling me about being a witch? What does that mean, exactly? What kinds of powers do you have?”
“Of course I can tell you more about it,” said Hazel, feeling relieved. “I want to share that part of me with you, too.” She paused. “I have some books I can give you to read about the history of witches from our perspective. That will give you more answers. But the short version is that it’s genetic. Witches are born with the ability to tap into powers that humans can’t—but they still have to be taught how to use them.”
“Does that mean that witches aren’t human?”
Hazel nodded. “You got it. Completely different sort of animal. We live longer, age more slowly, and are able to communicate with other magical folk.”
“Like vampires and ghosts?”
“Among others. There are fairies, too, and mermaids.”
“Really?” Elizabeth gave her a disbelieving look that was quickly replaced with curiosity again. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound incredulous. It’s just all so new to me.”
“Of course,” said Hazel. “It’ll take time. Baby steps. And we can take them together.”
“That sounds like a plan,” said Elizabeth. She paused again. “What about Camille? She said she could read minds. Can you read minds also?” She looked a little guilty posing the question.
“I guess I could, if I wanted to, but it takes a lot of concentration, and it doesn’t last long.” She put her hand over Elizabeth’s. “I would never use magic on you without your knowledge. Or read your thoughts. No one in my family would either. There is a code of ethics among the Otherworldly—magical folk, that is—about how we use our powers. What Camille did, stealing my love potions and bewitching Roxy with her powers, is against that code. There aren’t a whole lot of ways to enforce the code, it’s true, but if she did it enough, other magical folk would intervene.”
“That’s a relief,” said Elizabeth with a sigh, “though I think she may already have learned her lesson.”
Elizabeth recounted her meeting with Camille the night before. Hazel was stunned.
“I can’t believe she did that. How terrifying for you,” she said finally. She was so angry with Camille that the part about her encouraging Elizabeth to go after Hazel barely registered.
“It’s okay. It was the kick in the arse I needed, apparently.” Elizabeth leaned over and kissed Hazel gently on the lips. “It brought us together, and truthfully, it made me less able to explain away the idea of magic in our world.”
“I’m glad to hear that part, I guess. And I can answer any questions you have about magic, any time. I know it’s all incredibly new, and I want to help you understand it.”
“Me too,” said Elizabeth.
Hazel muttered a quiet incantation, and moments later, they were surrounded by tiny hearts made of little bubbles.
“What is this?” said Elizabeth. “It’s beautiful.”
“Just a little magic for us,” said Hazel with a smile. It was as though an enormous weight had fallen off her shoulders. Not only did Elizabeth accept her for who she was, she wanted to learn more. She never thought she could go from so sad to so happy in one day.
