Fake Dating a Witch

Chapter 7

SIRONA

Another Sunday, another dinner at Mom and Nana”s house. Nana”s original house still sits atop the hill on Goode land, but she”s seventy-nine and can”t live alone anymore. She”s considering converting her house to the offices for our charitable foundation, but is indecisive about it. I think it”s hard for her to give up the house she and my grandfather raised their daughters and grandchildren in.

Grant is again holding my hand as we walk into the kitchen. The aromas of lasagna and garlic bread fill the air, making my mouth water.

Or maybe that”s just Grant. Because my mouth seems to water any time he”s around. And quite often when he”s not.

After he dropped me off Saturday night, I had to make myself come twice before I was relaxed enough to sleep. And twice the night before. I”m going to set some sort of masturbation record before this fake relationship is over. Bronwen could make me a potion or do a spell to tame my desire, but asking her would blow our cover. Why would I want to desire my beloved boyfriend less?

Evan”s in the kitchen with my mom as we walk in. They”re chatting about something related to his job.

He comes to family dinner at least once a month. He didn”t have the greatest childhood, so he spent a lot of time at my house with me. He”s like the adopted son my mom never had.

”Sirona!” Nana says. She gives Grant an appreciative once over. His cheeks turn an adorable pink. ”And you brought your handsome friend again.”

”Boyfriend,” Grant corrects. He”s so good at this. Who knew high school acting skills would come in this handy fifteen years later?

Evan glances at me, a rusty eyebrow raising.

Later,I mouth at him.

Almost immediately, Morgan swoops in and physically disengages my hand from Grant”s. ”We need to borrow your girlfriend for a few minutes,” she says to him.

Somewhere in the chaos of my sister dragging me out of the room, I register that my mom”s new fiancé has arrived, his surly looking son behind him.

Why is he making Zach come when he so clearly doesn”t want to be here? I don”t need my witch powers to pick up on the very obvious I”d rather be anywhere else vibe coming from him.

Oh well, not my problem. Especially since I”m being dragged up two flights of stairs to the loft area outside our childhood bedrooms. It”s still decorated as we had it when we were kids, emerald greens and deep wine colors. Lush fabrics, lots of throw pillows. Very witchy.

Bronwen is sitting on the floor with a green satin pillow in her lap, Honey is on the green velvet chaise, and Lavender is sitting in one of the dark wood armchairs that surround the dark oak worktable. I am clearly in for an interrogation, and I know exactly what it”s about.

This is perfect.

”Hey, everyone.” I drop down on the floor next to Bronwen and pull a bolster pillow over to tuck against my butt. ”What”s up?”

”You”—Honey points both index fingers at me—“need to spill.”

”About Grant?” I ask, even though of course this is about Grant.

”About Grant,” Lavender and Honey both say.

I shrug and concentrate on making myself blush. My cheeks heat, so I”m pretty sure I made it work. ”We ran into each other recently. It”s been... a whirlwind. Amazing.”

”Does he know you had a huge crush on him in high school?” Morgan asks.

I shake my head. ”I could mention it. But it doesn”t matter, because I have way more than a crush on him now.” That”s even mostly true. My attraction to the man goes well beyond a crush. It”s the neediest kind of lust I”ve ever experienced.

”Are you in love with him?” Bronwen asks eagerly. Her brown eyes are almost pleading as she looks at me.

I smile a secret, infatuated smile. ”I don”t think I”m quite there yet. But I”m damn sure getting close.” They wouldn”t fully believe it if I said I love him this soon. But I can plant the seeds for them believing in a few weeks when it ostensibly happens.

Maybe I”ll ”realize” it at the Solstice festival. That seems like a fitting time. What’s more romantic than realizing you’re in love on your birthday?

Bronwen”s fingers wrap around my arm. ”Do you think you will, for real?”

I”ve gotten her hopes up before. There was a guy in college who I liked a lot. But no one, including me, believed it was love. Unfortunately, there aren”t a ton of dating prospects in a town as small as Owl Cove, so there hasn”t been anyone even close since.

But I can convince them it”s happened with Grant. I”m positive I can.

I smile shyly and glance at Honey, then back to Bronwen. ”Yeah, I really think this is the one.”

”Bring him with us next week,” Honey says.

Sharing a tent with Grant? Because of course they”d expect that. Can I withstand that much temptation? It would be one thing for him to spend the night at my house to keep up appearances, but sleep in a separate room. On the opposite side of my large house. He”s doing that tonight, in fact.

But in a tent? Sleeping bags right next to each other. Close enough to touch.

My heart pounds and my breath comes a little shorter just imagining it. I”d get no sleep.

”I can ask him, but he might be busy next weekend,” I say. Please let us be able to think of a good reason he can”t go.

”No, no, bring him.” Bronwen bounces next to me. ”He can get out of whatever he has.”

”I think it”s his niece”s birthday.” I have no idea when his niece”s birthday is. I don”t even know her name or how old she is. I just know his sister is married with one daughter.

I should probably ask him those details in case it comes up.

Morgan frowns at me. ”She turned two last month.”

How the hell does she know that?

I shake my head. ”My mistake. I”ll ask him.” And we”ll think up an excuse together. We”ve been making a pretty good pair at this so far.

And I am definitely not thinking about other ways we”d make a good, amazing, explosive, mind-blowing pair.

Nope. Definitely not.

”You”re thinking about banging him in a tent, aren”t you?” Honey asks. ”Your face and chest are all red.”

I mean, I wasn”t picturing it in a tent. More like me riding him as he sits on one of the Adirondack chairs on his porch. Or him rising over me in my bed. Or?—

”We should go back down. Dinner has to be ready soon.”

”Aw, you”re embarrassed,” Morgan teases. ”It”s so cute.”

I roll my eyes at her as I lift myself off the floor.

She and I are the last ones to start down the stairs. As I”m about to take the first step, she puts a hand on my forearm. ”Seriously, though, Sirona. He”s got to be the one. Bronwen is desperate.”

So is Evan. Even if the curse breaking is no guarantee Bronwen will fall in love with him. But at least then he”ll know. I don”t say that out loud, since I”m the only person he”s confided his feelings to.

”What about you?”

She shrugs, her gaze looking faraway. ”I don”t know. Love doesn”t seem in the cards for me.”

”Like, literally?”

She laughs humorlessly. ”Yeah. Nana did a tarot reading for me last week.”

I cringe. ”That bad?”

”That bad.”

Tarot card readings aren”t always one hundred percent true. And they”re only the path you”re on at the moment of the reading. There are infinite chances to change that future. ”You know you can still change it. The cards were probably just picking up the energy of the curse. Right now, as things stand, you can”t find love. But once I fall in love and the curse is over, I bet you could do a new reading and get all the romance cards.”

She sighs as we reach the bottom of the stairs. ”Then you have more faith than I do.”

She heads for the dining room, leaving me pondering my sister”s glum view of her future. Not that falling in love is everything. My mom and aunts are proof you don”t need a partner to have a fulfilling life. Still, I want that as at least a possibility for my sisters. I want them to have the choice.

I hate Morgan discounting it without even considering it. Because I know her, and I know she probably decided after that notorious breakup in seventh grade that she would never fall in love, and has stuck with it all these years, outside the curse.

GRANT

It”s a gorgeous early summer evening as Sirona and I walk back to her house after dinner. The path through the trees shades the setting sun, making our walk feel more intimate. Though her cat is wandering somewhere behind us, so we”re not totally alone.

There”s been a lot of intimacy in my life lately. More than I”m used to. I”m on good terms with my family. But I wouldn”t say we”re intimate. The Goodes, on the other hand, are the definition of a close-knit family. Plus Evan, though I haven”t quite figured out how he fits in, other than being Sirona”s friend. He”s not a witch, I know that much. He was two years behind me in school and kind of a dork back then, when I cared about those things, so I didn”t pay attention to him. But he seems like a good guy.

Speaking of witches, there”s something that”s been nagging at me for a while. I”ve lived around witches a large part of my life, but always wondered about this.

”Can witches fly?” I break the silence, save for crickets and cicadas.

We”re walking close to each other, nearly shoulder to shoulder. So when she turns to look at me, her face is so close, I could stop walking and kiss her.

No. Bad thoughts. Don”t go that route.

She smiles and I feel it throughout my body, in a sensation that doesn”t feel like lust. But it”s also not how I react when friends smile. I don”t want to think about it, so I ignore it.

”No, that”s a myth. I kind of wish we could. Ride around in the sky on a broom? That would be awesome.” Her eyes sparkle in the twilight. ”I could take you for a ride, too.”

I almost swallow my tongue.

She realizes her phrasing and her eyes go wide. She covers her mouth with her hand. ”Sorry,” she mumbles through it.

”No worries.” I pretend to shake it off, but my mind is filled with graphic images of her taking me for a ride. Or her taking a ride on my broomst?—

”So, you want me to sleep in the guest bedroom tonight?” I interrupt my thoughts, because all they”re doing is torturing me.

”Yep. Honey”s coming by in the morning with scones and coffee, and it would be great if you”re here.” She stares down at her feet as she talks, watching her adorable, purple-tipped toes in her sandals.

Since when do I think toes are adorable?

”Look like it”s the morning after?” We could make it a real morning after.

Damn, am I thinking like a horny teenager. But I”ve never wanted a woman quite like I do Sirona. I”m not letting myself think about how I also enjoy spending time with her. That way lies complications I don”t want or need.

She nods. Then she looks over her shoulder for a long moment. Long enough that I look too.

Nothing but Koko the psychic cat, or whatever she is.

Sirona rolls her eyes. ”Whatever,” she says to the cat, then looks forward again. We”ve reached the edge of her lush, gorgeous lawn. Maybe I should hire her to do some gardening in my barren yard. I have a few shrubs that need little maintenance and that”s it.

”She have something to add to the conversation?” It”s odd having a third party in the conversation when only one of us can understand said third party.

”Just being a pain,” Sirona says.

She climbs the stairs to her front door, and I follow. She opens the door without needing to unlock it. I”m not sure if that”s because she doesn”t lock it or because she uses magic.

Her house is full of shadows when we enter, adding to the feeling of cozy intimacy I”ve been aware of all evening.

We stand in the entryway and she turns to face me. Standing just a smidge closer than feels socially appropriate. And I can”t stop myself from smoothing away a stray strand of her hair. My fingers brush her ear as I tuck it back, and she shivers.

”Cold?” My voice is lower than usual, sounding strange in my own ears.

Gaze locked on mine, she shakes her head. For an instant, it drops to my lips, then snaps back up to my eyes.

I swallow a groan. She”s killing me. Practically sending out broadcast signals that she wants us to kiss. I feel tightness in my jaw and know I”m clenching my teeth. I want nothing more in this moment than to taste her pretty pink lips.

After several charged moments of simply looking into each other”s eyes, she closes hers and turns away. ”I”ll show you the guest room. There are two, but one is decorated for a toddler and has a crib. So probably not your thing.”

I shrug, trying to cut the sizzling tension surrounding us. ”I mean, I”m pretty open to new experiences.”

She laughs as she starts up the stairs. ”I”ll keep that in mind. But I think Sabrina”s crib would be a bit small for you.”

Her ass is in my face, covered in loose, drapey black pants. But I can still tell what a great ass it is. I shove my hands in my jeans pockets so I don”t use them to grab her ass and run them over her curves.

She takes me down a hall with two rooms on each side. One is clearly a home office, another the aforementioned room for her niece. The door to the third is closed. She gestures into the fourth room. ”Your suite, sir.”

My lips twitch, but I keep a stern face. ”Thank you, madam.”

She giggles and my chest feels warm and soft. Not something I”m used to. But hey, new experiences.

”There”s an en suite bathroom for you.”

I step past her into the room and look around. It’s large, done in shades of purple and maroon, with a large, dark wood dresser and matching king-sized bed. It’s very Sirona.

”This”ll do?” she asks.

”It”s great.” I”d rather be in her bed with her. Naked. And not sleeping nearly enough. But this will definitely suffice.

”Where”s your room?” I ask.

She points to a fifth door at the end of the hall. It”s open to reveal a narrow flight of stairs. ”Third floor. It”s one big open suite and I love it.”

New goal: see that big open suite she loves.

No. No, not a new goal.

Dammit, my brain is trying to drive me batty. I have to find a way to stop thinking about how much I want to have sex with Sirona.

She does the exact wrong thing to make that happen. She steps into the room and moves close to me. Very close. Closer than she was downstairs. Her gaze again holds mine, and again my body is exhilarated by her nearness.

”I have work to do upstairs,” she says quietly. ”So good night.” Placing her hand flat against my chest, she leans up and kisses my cheek.

Oh fuck. I am such a goner. Because that press of her soft lips feels amazing. Exactly how I imagined her lips would feel, but better. Softer, gentler, warmer. But they”re in the wrong place.

My fingers wrap around her wrist, keeping her touch on me. When she leans back, I capture her gaze again. ”Sirona.”

My injured hand comes up and awkwardly cups her cheek. I hate that I can”t feel every point of contact with her silky skin.

I lower my head toward her, until her breath is hot on my face, until our noses bump.

”Sirona,” I murmur again. And then fuck it. I do it.

I kiss her.

The instant my lips brush hers, my body is electrified from the inside out. I”m a doctor; I know that”s not actually possible. But that”s what it feels like. And hey, I”ve never kissed a witch before. Maybe it”s different.

Maybe she cast a spell on me. I don”t care, because it feels so fucking good to nibble at her lips and have her nibble back at mine. Her fingers curl into my shirt and her other hand wraps around my waist, pulling us closer.

Closer.

I release her wrist and wrap my arm around her, keeping the other one cupping her cheek. Her hair tickles the scar tissue on the back of my hand, a strange but not unpleasant sensation.

My eyes have closed, and I crack them open to see her face so close to mine. I can make out every freckle on her nose, see each lash as it brushes her cheek. Then I close my eyes again, to better savor all the other sensations.

This close, her lavender scent is even stronger and who knew it was such a turn on? Then again, everything about her so far is a turn on for me. Which is exactly why I shouldn”t be doing this. Especially in a bedroom. With a lush-looking king-sized bed we could get lost in. The smartest thing to do would be to end this kiss right now, walk downstairs and out the door, get in my SUV, and go home.

Instead I tease the seam of her lips with my tongue. She”s warm and soft and delicious on the surface, but I need to know if she tastes the same inside.

She lets out the sexiest fucking sound from the back of her throat as she opens to me. If I weren”t already hard, that would do it. Her tongue boldly seeks out mine and caresses it, and my knees feel weak. My head is spinning.

I have never in my life had a kiss like this. It has to be magic.

Our tongues tangle and explore. She is indeed warm and soft and delicious inside, but more. So much more. Everything is more. I imagine our clothes melting away as we fall onto the bed together. Then I drag my mind back to the moment. Because the moment is perfect.

My heart is pounding and my skin is on fire and I”ve never felt like this in my life. This alive. This excited. This needy.

I fucking hate being needy, but there”s nothing about this that I hate.

”Sirona,” I murmur and drag my lips across her cheek to her ear. I pull her delicate lobe into my mouth and nip at it. She whimpers and it goes straight to my cock.

”Grant.” Her voice is breathy and hungry and that goes straight to my cock, too. A cock that would very much like some attention. Preferably in the form of being inside her.

She shifts her head and manages to kiss my cheek, but then she sinks into it and simply lets me pleasure her.

What would she do if I moved my hand between her legs, to really pleasure her? Would she welcome it, or would she slap me and storm out?

”Shut up,” she says out of nowhere.

I open my eyes and, through the mass of her hair, I can make out the black outline of Koko.

Really, cat? You”re talking to her right now?

I bury my face in her neck and lick at her pulse. ”Something wrong?”

”Just Koko being timely.”

But her body is no longer melted against mine. She”s no longer pressing into me. She”s pulling away.

Fucking cat.

Her other hand joins the first on my chest and they apply gentle pressure. ”We should stop.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

I pause, take one last deep inhale of her soft, gentle scent, and slowly pull away. She keeps her hands on my chest, so I don”t drop mine from her waist.

With a large sigh, she drops her forehead to my shoulder. ”I”m sorry.”

I smooth her hair over her shoulders, combing it down her back. ”It”s OK.”

How weird is it to jerk off in the guest bedroom of the woman you”re hard over?

”I don”t want to give you mixed signals.”

I release her waist and use my fingers to gently lift her face so we”re eye to eye. Heart again pounding wildly, I say, ”What if we take it really, really slow and see where things go?” I have no idea where this is coming from. I don”t want anything else tying me to Owl Cove when I leave.

Her eyes go wide, shining in the glare from the overhead light. She looks surprised. That makes two of us.

”Like, actually date?”

”That”s not what I was thinking.” Except I”m not sure what I am thinking. I”m talking out of my ass here. All I know is I need another chance to kiss her. This can”t be it. Even if we never make it to sex, I know with an instinctual certainty that I must keep kissing Sirona Goode.