California Dreamin'

I press a kiss on her forehead. “He isn’t.”

“What?”

Smiling, I say, “Everything’s fine.”

Her eyes go wide and I have this insane urge to kiss her. “Shut up.”

I chuckle. “Okay.”

She fists my sweater, going up on tiptoes. “You’re kidding. Are you kidding?”

Yeah, maybe I should kiss her, put my mouth on her parted, incredulous lips. “Nope.”

She gasps and swats at my chest. “And you couldn’t say that before? I’ve been on pins and needles over here.”

I shrug. “This is way more fun.”

She swats at my chest again, her small hand barely having an effect though. “You’re so ridiculous. You have no idea what I’ve been going through.”

“Tell me.”

She sighs. “After you walked me home, Mom talked to me.”

“About?”

“About…” She blushes. “You know? Things. She said that she doesn’t wanna know if we’ve done it yet but she’s not stupid. She said that we might’ve done other things and if I want to go further and have questions, I should come find her. Because she wants me to be prepared and safe.”

I bark out a laugh, picturing Willow having the talk with Fallon.

Fallon glares. “This isn’t funny. I was mortified. Especially after what… happened before you brought me home.”

I lick my lips then. They still taste like her, or maybe I’ve completely lost my mind over this eighteen-year-old girl.

The girl I was born for.

She stares at my lips and licks her own, and my dick twitches in my pants.

Yeah, I’ve lost my mind.

I lean down, bringing our faces together like we’re sharing a secret. “Well, the next time your mom wants to have a talk, you tell her that she doesn’t need to worry. Because I will teach you everything. And that’s because you’re mine. I take care of you now.”

Her blush increases, creeps down to her throat. “You will?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Okay,” she whispers, her body swaying.

“Tell me what you’ll say to your mom.”

Her breaths become stuttered. “That Dean will teach me everything.”

“And why’s that?”

“Because I’m his now. And he’ll take care of me.”

“Good.”

Fuck it, I’m going to kiss her.

I know it’s her home and her parents are somewhere around here. And her dad might take an issue with it and throw me out but I don’t care.

I have to kiss her.

And she wants me to kiss her, with the way she keeps licking her lips and shifting against me restlessly.

It’s my job to give her everything she wants.

But just as I’m about to do it, the bell rings and the front door opens up. We both turn to see who it is.

A brunette steps inside. Actually, now that the sun falls on her, there are a few golden strands visible, which makes it very hard to pin down her hair color.

Which, in turn, tells me who she is. Violet, one of Willow’s friends that she met while she was at Heartstone. And the large, bearded man who steps in behind her is her husband, Graham Edwards.

I clench my teeth.

I don’t like Graham Edwards. Not at all.

Even though his size falls in the category of intimidating for the most part, I’m not afraid to take him.

Because of what’s going to happen in exactly two point five seconds.

“Oh my God, Auntie Vi and Uncle Graham are here,” Fallon chirps from beside me. “Oh my God, am I blushing?” She turns to me with her hands on her cheeks, her eyes wide. “I’m blushing, aren’t I?” Then she goes ahead and fans her face with those hands. “Gosh, it’s so embarrassing. I always do that when he comes around. Like, he’s so big and masculine, you know? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone this large and tall and dreamy. Damn it. I need to stop blushing.”

I know.

I fucking know about the blushing.

She’s been doing that ever since she turned twelve or something. Every time they came around, she’d blush and make me want to punch something.

Punch him, to be exact. Graham Edwards.

So yeah, I’m not afraid to take him.

In fact, I’d like to have a go at him one of these days. Just to prove to her he’s not so large and tall and fucking dreamy.

“I’ve seen bigger,” I clip, barely holding onto my animosity.

Fallon finally focuses on me.

I don’t hide anything. Now that she’s mine, she needs to know that I won’t let her blush for other men.

She is not allowed to blush for other men.

“And yes, you do need to stop blushing,” I tell her.

She frowns up at me. “Are you ordering me to stop blushing?”

“Yes.”

“You do know that it’s kinda involuntary? Blushing. It happens.”

“It happens when you’re excited. So stop being fucking excited.”

She watches me a few seconds before a small smile appears on her lips. “Are you jealous?”

I lean down to intimidate her a little. “Fuck yeah, I am.”

“But it’s Uncle Graham.”

“I don’t care who he is. You’re not allowed to blush for other men.”