Fake Dating a Witch

Chapter 8

SIRONA

”Why did you stop us?” I practically growl at Koko as we ascend to my suite.

Because you would”ve ended up having sex. You said you didn”t want that.

”Maybe I changed my mind.”

Did I?

We left things very up in the air. Said we”d sleep on it and talk again in the morning.

And I have no idea what I want. I mean, obviously, in the short term, I want Grant. But do I want that more than I don”t want everything that comes with that? I”m not a fling sort of person.

Only because you”ve never tried it.

”I can see whose side you”re on,” I mutter as I change into my pajamas.

I”m on my side. And you content is always in my best interest.

”I”m content.” I pull back my purple bedspread and sit down on the lavender sheets. My room is done in various shades of purple, with a few butter-yellow accents, and it”s one of my top five favorite places in the entire world.

I don”t think cats can scoff, but Koko makes a noise that is definitely a scoff.

”I am,” I insist.

Except I”m not. But I don”t think that has anything to do with Grant. And I”m tired. I don”t want to think any harder about what”s really going on in my head. Not tonight.

You didn”t invite him on the camping trip. Koko hops up on the bed and settles against my legs. Our typical bedtime routine.

Except most nights, I don”t have a guest in the house. Most nights, I didn”t just make out with my high school crush. Most nights, until about ten days ago, I”m not going to bed with this restless, needy feeling in my body.

You also forgot to brush your teeth.

I make a face at her and climb out of bed to do that. A few minutes later, I return to bed, and she resettles against my legs.

Are you really going to share a tent with him and not jump his bones?

Why do I have the most maddening familiar on Earth?

”I don”t know. We”re going to talk about things more tomorrow. And I will tell him about the camping trip then. He might not even want to go. He might not like camping.” I roll onto my side, dislodging Koko. She makes a displeased noise but settles back in.

Who am I kidding? I”m sure Grant loves camping. He”s always been outdoorsy. He told me once that he preferred mountain biking and hiking to the team sports his dad made him play at school. And he broke his hand while mountain biking in the mountains. He and Tyler were probably camping then too.

So yeah, Grant”s just a little bit outdoorsy. I mean, he”s even got a little bit of a lumberjack look going on. Not quite as big and burly as I imagine lumberjacks, but he”s got the beard and the flannel shirts part down. Didn’t he say he got nicknamed Dr. Lumberjack?

Go to sleep. You”re thinking too loud.

I roll my eyes, even though she can”t see me. ”You”re the one who got my mind all whirling.”

And now I want it to stop. Just think, you can do anything you want to him in your dreams.

And I have been for the past several nights.

And after Honey leaves tomorrow, you can jump him.

Instead of smothering my familiar, which is surely frowned upon, I reach for my phone and put on a sleep meditation. Hopefully it”ll drown her out.

SIRONA

The kitchen is empty when I get downstairs in the morning. Grant”s door was shut when I passed it and I didn”t hear obvious movement inside. But even if he doesn”t wake up before Honey leaves, she”ll see his car outside. That”s enough to put in her head that he slept over.

I certainly hope he slept better than me. I woke up every time Koko moved. Which was a lot. And my dreams left me feeling almost as needy and turned on as kissing him did. All in all, I”m a mess of fatigue and hormones. I”m going to have to whip up an energy potion—something stronger than coffee—once I get to work today.

But coffee is a good start. Honey will want some too, even though she can get stuff that”s ten times better at her cafe. I put in the grounds, then sprinkle on some cinnamon for continued abundance, to clear negative energy, and to add a little spice to my budding potential romance. Plus it tastes good. I add the water and start the machine.

I”m still in my pajamas, and I made sure to tousle my hair a little extra, so it looks like I had a very sexy night. I did, but it was only dreams. I want Honey to think it”s reality.

Sunlight is pouring in through the large kitchen windows, and it”s not yet the heat of summer where I have to run air conditioning, so the windows are open and I can smell the early June flowers, the aroma wafting in on the breeze. It”s my favorite sort of morning.

”Hello!” The back screen door opens with the sound of Honey”s voice. ”I come bearing baked goods.”

”Perfect timing. The coffee just finished.”

Honey grabs a mug from the hooks under my cabinet and holds it out for me to pour. She takes hers with a dash of lavender simple syrup that I keep on hand for her. I add goat milk and a cube of sugar.

She sits on a stool at my kitchen island while I stand at the counter. I”m debating if I want to make eggs to go with the scones.

Honey opens the bag of baked goods, reaches out, and calls three napkins to her from where they sit folded in the drawer just out of her reach. She sets one in front of her and places a scone on it. The other napkin and scone she slides in my direction.

”I noticed a certain car out front. Good thing I brought an extra.” She wiggles the scone in my direction with a cheeky smile.

I snatch it out of her hand. ”Why is everyone acting like I”ve never dated before?” From the way my family is treating this relationship, you”d think I”d been on an almost-thirty-one-year dry spell. ”It”s only been a year since Jenny and I split up.”

Honey takes a bite of her pastry and says with a mouthful, ”Yeah, but you weren”t as into her as you are clearly into Grant.”

I roll my eyes as I take my own bite. ”Yes, we”re all very aware that I”ve never truly been in love. It”s so much fun to have a cosmic barometer of my most intimate feelings.” By fun, I mean I hate it.

Before Honey can respond, we hear footsteps coming down the stairs. I glance over my shoulder to see Grant walk in looking very much the picture of a man who spent the night getting tumbled and enjoyed.

His hair is sticking out in all directions, real bedhead, not the artfully styled kind some men favor. He”s wearing his black-framed glasses and his jeans are zipped but not snapped, the waistband of his underwear visible.

Boxers? Briefs? Boxer briefs? I can”t tell, but desperately want to know.

Even better, he”s shirtless. And wow. Just wow. My knees feel a little weak.

His skin is pale enough to suggest he typically wears a shirt outside, with a distinct tan line around his biceps. There”s a dusting of dark hair between his pecs and a line from his navel down into his pants.

My mouth waters, imagining following that trail with my tongue.

He”s toned but not bodybuilder muscled, as is befitting someone as active outdoors as he is.

He gives me a slow smile. ”Morning, babe.” He comes up behind me and slips an arm around my waist, his fingertips teasing the skin just under the hem of my sleep shirt. It tickles, the sensation shooting up my side, and I giggle.

I fucking giggle.

His chuckle rumbles over my ear as he presses a kiss to my shoulder. Then he rests his chin there and says, ”Hey, Honey.”

Her grin is knowing and smug. ”Morning, Grant. There”s a scone for you, if you”d like. Fresh made this morning.”

”Thanks.” He presses a kiss to my temple. ”I”ll have to take it to go. I need to head home and clean up, then I”m watching my niece for a few hours so my sister can run errands without dragging her along.”

”Aw, that”s so sweet,” Honey practically coos. ”He”s good with kids, Sirona. Did you know that?”

I roll my eyes at her for a second time but don”t answer.

”Mind if I steal her for a minute in private?”

I turn just in time to catch him winking at my cousin.

She laughs and gestures toward the doorway. ”By all means.”

”I am my own person.” Nevertheless, I follow Grant into the hallway.

He backs me against the wall and comes in close, sandwiching me between him and the plaster. I”m pretty sure my skeleton dissolves.

His hand cups my face and before I can catch my breath, his mouth is on mine.

The kiss is hot and insistent, his tongue immediately stroking mine. He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and teases it with his teeth. A sound catches in the back of my throat, and he answers with a groan as he presses himself more fully against me.

He”s hard and right where I need him and if Honey weren”t in the very next room, I”d be opening his fly and taking him in hand.

He tears his mouth away and, breathing heavily, rests his forehead against mine. When my eyes open, his are still closed. I bump my nose against his and he smiles, still not opening them.

”We should get dinner tonight,” he says softly. ”Talk through some things.”

I try to nod but can”t, so I say, ”Yes. We probably should.”

”Damn, Sirona, I don”t want to stop kissing you.” His lips ghost over mine again.

”Me either.”

With a groan, he drops his face into my neck. ”I really do need to go. And you probably have to get to work.”

I make a noise of vague assent. I don”t want to lose this sensation of his body holding mine up. I”m certain I”ll dissolve without him to keep me together.

”Pick you up at six?” He still doesn”t move his face. ”Damn, you smell good.”

I shiver at his compliment as I try to remember my schedule for the day. ”Thank you. How about if I meet you? I have a late meeting today.” I”m so tired of meetings. They are by far the worst part of my job.

Well, second worst. The worst is all the people I don”t have the power to help. Even magic has limits.

”Stonehenge Inn at six-thirty?”

Ooh, he wants something a little fancy. The British-themed restaurant is the most romantic restaurant in town. I haven”t had a reason to go there in years.

”Sounds perfect.”

”So you know, I really want to kiss you goodbye, but if I do, I probably won”t leave. So I”m going to walk away now and get the rest of my stuff.”

My lips twitch with a desire to smile. It feels good to be wanted this much, even if we still really shouldn”t. ”Fair enough.”

Still, he brushes his lips over my forehead before pulling his solid chest away from mine and heading toward the stairs. Despite the warmth in the air, I feel almost chilled with him gone.

I stay leaning against the wall for a few more seconds, composing myself before heading back into the kitchen.

Honey is practically smirking as I take the stool next to her. ”Well, that was no quick goodbye peck.”

My cheeks heat. I can still feel the imprint of his lips on mine, taste the heat of him. ”We just started dating. Give us a break.”

She laughs. ”I”m sure your sisters are going to be relentless about if you”ve fallen in love yet.”

I sigh. This is the whole goal, breaking the curse. Of course my sisters are invested. ”I”ve had approximately a dozen texts from Bronwen asking if the curse is over yet. And that’s only this morning.” I’m only exaggerating a little.

Honey sips her coffee. ”I wonder how you”ll know.”

I frown. ”What do you mean?”

”Like, will there be some cosmic marker? Will you just know the way we do sometimes? Will you feel a sensation in your body that marks the end of the curse? And since it affects all three of you, will they feel it too?” Honey shrugs. ”Or maybe Nana will know and tell you?”

I honestly have never thought about the end of the curse. I think a lot about the beginning, the night we did that stupid spell. And of course, my sisters keep me thinking about the present and how they can”t fall in love with anyone. Though honestly, I”m glad Bronwen didn”t fall for Sabrina’s dad. He”s an asshole.

”I guess I”ve never given it much thought.” I stare into my coffee as if the answers will surface there. ”I guess I”ll ask Nana. She”ll probably at least have an idea.”

”There”s gotta be something, right?”

I sigh again. ”All I know is I hope things work out with Grant. I”m so tired of this damn curse hanging over all of us.”