“Okay, I’ll stay for dinner.” He dropped his arms to his sides, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
My inner witch was losing her shit, jumping up and down, spinning in circles, air humping... It was an episode, honestly.
He’s coming in my house. Oh, fuck. I wish I could high five myself right now without that being weird.
Saige walked through the doorway, the smell of something delicious wafting through the entryway. Entering a small room that held her washer and dryer, a shoe rack, bench, and a sink, she kicked her shoes off onto the rug in front of the rack. Bending down, I loosened my boots enough to slip them off. I was used to this since both Kaito’s and Fischer’s families never wore shoes inside. A soft sound came from behind me, and I twisted my head just in time to see a flash of white dart around me and into the house, the small doggie door swinging slightly from Maven’s arrival. Saige laughed and yelled out to her pet, getting a growl in response. Little jerk.
“So, welcome to my lovely cottage, Cam.” She held her hands wide as she walked, her back still facing me. “Let me just throw up some locking spells.” Hearing her murmured words, I knew she had put up a general sealing spell on the doors and windows, and I cocked an eyebrow when she also moved her hands and cast a motion detecting spell that would notify her immediately if a person got within a certain radius of the house. I guess the little witch is pretty skilled. While her back was to me, I reinforced her magic with my own. Fischer had filled us all in on her abusive shithead ex, and a surge of relief spilled through my chest, knowing she was capable of placing strong spells around her home in order to protect herself.
Satisfied that her magic was in place, she led me out of the mudroom and past a short set of stairs that brought us to a small landing. Sheer navy blue curtains draped down from a window that took up the main wall. Heading right, we passed a door which she pointed out as a bathroom. Continuing on our path, I let my eyes scan the walls, the operative in me pushing me to be aware of my surroundings at all times. I can’t protect people if I’m not prepared.
The home was decorated heavily in mid-century modern furniture and decor, and it was totally Saige. I barely knew the woman, but the kitschy, vintage vibe she had going on in here reminded me of her personality. Quirky and over the top at times, but also strong enough to endure the test of life. In the moments between inspecting her home, my eyes kept dropping to her ass. I was trying really hard not to blatantly check her out, but shit. That ass. So round, I wonder how much it would bounce if I were to fuck her from behind.
Nearly plowing her over while my brain was held hostage by the ass-filled daydream, her palm hit the center of my chest hard enough to halt my progression. My eyes flicked down to hers, and she grinned, having caught me checking her out like a fucking perv.
“See something you like?”
Christ, the balls on this woman.
“I’ll let you know if I do, have no doubt.” She was smirking at me, and fuck if that didn’t make me want to slap it off of her face with my rapidly growing cock.
Ignoring my response, she whirled back around and padded over to the kitchen island. The cabinets were also dated, painted white. There was a matching island in the middle of the workspace, with a sink in the center of the butcher block countertop.
“Smells good in here. Can I help you with anything?” Sliding beside her, I studied her from above. Her arm was extended to turn on the warm water, pumping the soap dispenser a few times into her small hand. Her hair was windblown from the ride, cheeks flushed... perfection.
“Behind me, in the drawer next to the fridge are spoons, and in the cupboard above are bowls. We’ll sit in here. I rarely use the dining room,” she said, inclining her head in the direction of the round table that had six chairs arranged around it.
Spinning around, I grabbed the items she requested and deposited them on the table before heading back over to where she was standing.
“I have lemonade, diet Dr. Pepper, beer, and tequila. Pick your poison, big guy.” Her smile lit up her face as her green eyes twinkled. She really is stunning.
“Beer would be great. Here, let me carry this.” Grabbing the two pot holders she had set out, I lifted the cauldron with ease and deposited it on the table.
She joined me a moment later with two beers in one hand and a ladle in the other. Once my beer was in hand and each of us in our seats, we served ourselves in comfortable silence.
“This smells so good. It’s been years since I’ve had homemade potato soup. Kai is the chef in our group, but we rarely eat soup.”
“I love soup. This is my gran’s recipe.” She smiled while she talked, the love for her grandma shining through her words.
“What about your parents?” I inquired, hoping it wasn’t a sore subject.
“Not much to say. My mom had me when she was nineteen, and she wasn’t ready to be a mother.” A harsh laugh left her lips at that. “She still isn’t ready to be a mother, for that matter. Thankfully, Gran stepped up and raised me while my mom went back to the city to continue developing her career. She’s never been very talkative about her job, but she’s an independent contractor for some kind of magical conglomerate. Similar to Radical, I think. I only see her a few times a year, but I never really saw her as my mom, so I don’t miss that or anything. Gran filled that role completely.” She lifted her drink to her lips, and I waited to see if she would continue. A look of acceptance flitted across her features, and she sighed.
“Honestly, my mom is really selfish. She’s not kind, rarely has a nice thing to say about anybody. I’m still not convinced we’re related. I have no clue who my dad is since my mom says she got pregnant from a one night stand at a party.” She shrugged, lifting a spoonful of soup to her mouth and blowing on it gently before cautiously taking the bite. “Mmm. It’s cooled down enough, finally.”
Getting the sense that she was done talking about her family, I didn’t push it. Instead, I dug into my own bowl.
“This is really good, little witch. You’ll have to make it for the rest of the guys sometime. Kai will be impressed.”
“Thanks.” After another bite, she prompted, “Is your family close?”
Fuck. I set myself up for that one. I tried to hide the cringe that wanted to take over, but I must have failed because she quickly added, “You don’t have to tell me anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“Let’s save that discussion for another day,” I muttered, shamelessly taking the out. I don’t want to talk about that shit. Not today. Not any fucking day. Lifting the cool bottle of beer to my lips, I quickly drained half of it.
“So you’re the leader of your group.” I raised my eyebrows at her statement because it was a statement. I didn’t remember telling her that before. Reading me with ease, she added, “Oh, come on. It’s freaking obvious. You exude BDE.”
“Do I want to know what BDE stands for?”
“Big dick energy, of course.” She grinned, and I threw my head back and laughed.
“Yes, little witch. I’m the leader. You’re very observant, clearly.”
“Did your boss put you in charge, or was that a decision your team made?” she questioned before taking a swig of her beer.
“Our boss made the final call, but the guys were in agreement. I’ve been the team lead since we started this job ten years ago.”
She nodded. “I can see why. You’re pretty level headed, and you seem like you’re the kind to think before you act.”
“That is an accurate assessment.” Unable to tell her much about my real job, a pang of guilt rose in my chest. “I love my career. Top of the line training. Endless resources to further my education and hone my abilities. Room for advancement— the list goes on and on.”
“Sounds like a lot of responsibility, though. You must travel a lot scouting properties for Radical. They’re a massive company. I mean, do you ever get a break?” Placing her elbow on the table, she rested her chin in the palm of her hand.
“You got me there.” A chuckle spilled from her lips, drawing my attention to them, and I couldn’t look anywhere else until she continued talking. “After I worked myself into the ground a couple of years ago, Frank and Arlo insisted that they become my part-time helpers in addition to being our handymen here on the property and at The Pig. They’ve been true friends. We’re also now closed on Sundays. Saturday, we’re only open from ten until two, and we rotate those between us, so I do get a nice amount of time to relax over the weekend. I’m there Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from ten to five, and Frank and Arlo open and close on Thursdays and Fridays. Today I just popped by to drop some things off. And then there’s Gran, who I’m very thankful I also have here to do things around the gardens while I’m in town.”
Now that our bowls were empty, she made her way to the fridge, opening the door to look inside. “Another?” She held up a fresh beer in question, and I nodded. First one went down so smooth. I’m going to have to call a Broom for a ride back to the apartment if I continue.
The sound of glasses hit the table, shot glasses, to be exact. And a bottle of tequila.
“Oh, I don’t know if I should get into liquor tonight. I’m already going to need to call a Broom for a lift...”
“You do know where we are, don't you? Emerald fucking Lakes. Broom doesn’t run out here.” Saige was laughing like this was the funniest shit in the world to her, and it was contagious.
“Well, fuck. Maybe I should stop drinking altogether, so I’ll be able to drive back home in a bit.” I pushed the beer away from me.
She batted her long dark eyelashes, giving me puppy dog eyes. “Aww, please? I never get to hang out. Stay and have fun with me? We can play twenty questions!”
I let out a groan as I swiped my hand down my face. She was temptation in its purest form. If I stay here, there is a strong probability that I’m going to fuck her. My dick has been raging since she pressed her curvy body tight against mine on my bike. Her thick thighs squeezing my hips, tits pressing into my back...
Clearing my throat, I began, “If I were to stay...” She let out a squeal, plopped down in her seat, and swiped the tequila bottle, popping the round cork top off before I could finish. In a flash, my hand snapped out, my fingers wrapping around her wrist that was holding the bottle.
Her eyes flew to mine, dancing with the promise of mischief and sassiness. I cannot wait to spank her bratty ass. Fuck it, I’m staying.
“Do you want me to stay tonight, Saige?” I knew I was growling at her again, but I also knew she fucking loved it. I just needed to hear it from her mouth. She was squirming in her seat so much I could only speculate how soon she would detonate when I finally touched her. “Say it.” I commanded the last two words, my tone going into full alpha mode, and I could hear the lust dripping from those two words. Narrowing her eyes at me, I could tell she was warring internally with herself, but I saw the moment her resolve broke. Despite being a wildcat, she liked me bossing her around. Pulling her wrist from my grip, she poured two shots, sliding the glass closer with a wink.
“Yes, I want you to stay. I’m having fun, and so are you. I’ve seen you smile and laugh more in the past couple of hours than I have since I met you, and I want to know more about you.” She was dancing in her seat victoriously, knowing she’d already won me over. “Come on, let’s get drunk, you big ass caveman.”
She was absolutely right though. I’d been using my facial muscles so much tonight that they were actually sore. Worth it. We’re safe here. Eyeing the clear alcohol, I sighed and placed it in front of me, my middle finger running circles around the rim of the shot glass.
“Okay, so I’ll ask you a question first. You can either answer or drink. Then you can ask me one,” she explained like I didn’t know how to play twenty questions. I let that slide, mostly because I definitely had questions I wanted to ask. To be honest, I was surprised by how much I actually wanted to know about her. Sure, this would be excellent information for our assignment—any information pertaining to this town could be a clue in finding Laura—but I genuinely wanted to know all about the witch before me.
“Let’s do this one together first. Liquid courage to loosen the lips, yeah?” I winked at her, lifting the shot up. “To finally getting the night off we fucking deserve,” I said before we clinked our glasses together then tossed the shots back. It was smooth, instantly warming me up. These leather pants might have to fuck off sooner rather than later.
“Whew! So good. I love tequila.” Saige pulled my glass over to her again, refilling them both quickly. “I’ll go first. How old are you?”
“I’m thirty-one,” I answered without hesitation. I would have asked her the same one in response, but I already knew that thanks to Kai, and I didn’t want to waste a question.
“Do you like living here?” She seemed to really enjoy this place, but then again, a lot of people could present themselves one way when actually, they felt completely different on the inside.
She paused for a moment, almost seeming surprised that was what I’d asked. “Yeah, I love it. I’ve lived here my entire life. I know everyone. It’s comfortable. I have my shop, my customers, my friends... Well, actually, most of my friends have moved to other places in the past few years. I have my cottage and my gran though. Even if I wanted to try living somewhere else, I don’t see how I could just abandon all of this. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s home.”
“I respect that. You just have such a wild spirit I would have thought you had an itch to travel, you know? Don’t you want to see everything that’s out there?” Tapping my fingers on the table, I watched her face because she wore all of her thoughts right there for the world to see. I wasn’t sure if she did that without knowing, or if it was just because she didn’t have a fuck to give about it. I hoped it was the latter.
“That’s another question, and now it’s my turn. Does it bother you guys that I’m flirting with Kai, have a date with Fischer tomorrow, and I’m here with you tonight?” Her eyebrow cocked at that, her reddened cheeks deepening in color even further.
“Kaito is a free spirit. He sees something he wants, and he goes after it. He didn’t hesitate when he laid eyes on you, did he?”
“No, you’re right. He is very forward and hilarious, and I love texting him all day. He makes me laugh,” she replied, and a shy smile sprang to life, causing her dimples to pop. “And Fischer? It doesn’t bother him? I was worried after I agreed to the date because I didn’t want to upset Kai. I genuinely like them both, and they’re so different from each other.”
“You have nothing to worry about. The four of us are rock solid. We grew up together, lived on the same street even. We’re used to sharing our things.” I said the last part and studied her closer to see her reaction, watching as the wheels turned in her pretty little head and leaning in closer when I could see she was starting to understand what I was hinting at. Her green eyes widened, and she grabbed her full shot glass, throwing it back so fast some of her hair got stuck to her mouth. A laugh bellowed out of my chest as she wiped the hair from her face.
“Sharing. You share women?” she asked quietly, before pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.
“Ah, ah, ah, little witch. It’s my turn for a question,” I reminded her as she refilled her glass.
“Fuck, you’re right. Okay. Lay it on me.”
I’ll lay something on you...
“Does that turn you on? The thought of us sharing you?” It fucking turns me on. I’m going to bust out of these damn pants if we stay on this line of questioning much longer.
“I... uh, well...”
“Spit it out, Saige. Or drink. If you drink, I’ll assume the an
swer is yes. I can see your nipples pebbling just thinking about it.”
She sucked in a breath and dropped her hands to said pebbled nipples to cover them up, a motion that had me wanting to knock her hands away. The thought of her covering up, hiding from me... absolutely not. “You mean, like, group sex? Or like a poly relationship? I need more information and alcohol here. Drink that shot, big boy. This conversation definitely needs more tequila.” Pulling the bottle of alcohol closer, she poured another and threw that one down the hatch. “I figured you guys must have been okay with things because Fish wouldn’t have asked me out otherwise, right? He wouldn’t do that to his friend.”
Smirking, I raised my glass to my lips once again, letting the liquid slide down with no hesitation. I let her ramble. She was cute as fuck when she got fired up, and she was one hundred percent fired up right now. After downing another shot, she stood up and started pacing in front of the kitchen island. I set my glass down on the table with a small thud, smiling as I watched her. Fuck, my cheeks hurt.
“Is that something you guys do often? I mean, I know it’s normal in some magic communities, but I’ve just never even met somebody who was poly before. Is it really that common? Oh my gods, are you guys in relationships like this all the time? Are you in one right now? Are you even single? I do not tolerate cheating!” She was going to wear a hole in the floor if she kept this up, but she was on one, and who was I to stop a fiery redhead? “But you’ll only be here until you figure out what’s going on with that property in Kingstown... Is this a test? You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” She stomped over to me, a single finger raised in my direction. “I swear, Cam, if you’re fucking with me, I’ll—”
The Magic of Discovery: Emerald Lakes Book One Page 12