Chapter 17 Caught Red-Handed
Caught red-handed
Iexpected to wake up alone, ghosted by the shadow man, but he was still there, still holding me, when my eyes opened. My mind raced for half a second until I heard his soft snoring. Funny how his presence did that suddenly. My overthinking, my analyzing, my narrative making—he stopped all that.
I sighed, not knowing how much I needed the noise in my head to stop, and melted back into him.
Maybe I could get used to having him around.
He tightened his hold on me, like he could hear my thoughts, but his snoring continued. Content with spending more time there, pretending like my life wasn’t imploding, I closed my eyes. Maybe I could sleep in.
Nope!
The loud chime of the doorbell snatched away my hope of peace. I reached for my phone, wanting to check the security camera to see who it was, but I realized my phone was still in my office.
So, to the remorse of every molecule of my body, I pulled away from Raymond’s heat and slipped out of the bed.
On my way to the door, I grabbed my robe and wrapped it around myself. I should have checked the camera, I should have looked out the peephole, anything but swinging that damn door open like I had no sense. Because the moment it opened was the moment all sense slammed back into my head.
The shadow man is in your bed and you’re just opening the door? Your ass knows Jackie is in town! Who else would it be?
And there was my friend, standing on my porch. Her happy expression quickly shifted from excitement to see me to suspicion. I could see her investigator hat forming on her head as her eyes scanned my body, searching for clues.
In an effort to deflect her pending judgement, I looked around her, ready to comment on the weather. The passenger door of her rental swung open, and my heart plummeted into the pit of my stomach as the short, muscular monster hunter stepped out. Miguel.
Damnit! This can’t be happening!
“Did you bring the entire team with you?” I asked, trying to sound like I was joking and not panicking.
“Would it bother you if I had?” Jackie’s right eyebrow lifted—more data being collected in the case against me.
“Some notice would have been nice is all.” I pulled the robe tighter around me.
She lifted her phone and wagged it at me, and I had a flashback to Raymond standing on my porch. “I called you twice and sent you three texts about me coming.”
“Oh, I left my phone in the office last night.” I looked over my shoulder, more so to make sure Raymond wasn’t there than anything.
Please, just stay in bed! Or better yet, pop your shadow ass on up out of here!
“Either way, it’s just us. Thought we could go grab breakfast and talk over things. But…” She looked me up and down. “Now I have questions. For one, what have you been up to?”
“What do you mean?” I could feel the heat in my cheeks already giving away my secrets.
“Everything okay?” His heat was suddenly on my back. Raymond. I closed my eyes in shame as he spoke. Yes, she was going to give me shit about it.
“Um.” I opened my eyes to see Jackie’s lips twisted. She was holding it back. Thank the heavens!
“On second thought, we’re going to go grab breakfast and come back here.” She pointed two fingers at us. “Give you two some time to put clothes on. That work?”
“Thanks,” I said simply before stepping back to shut the door and cringing when I heard her laughter.
Never living this down!
“You couldn’t just stay in the room?” I smacked his shoulder. “I could have gotten rid of them without them knowing you were here.”
“Why? Are you embarrassed?” He slipped his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me closer to him. “Are you ashamed of me, Jericha?”
“No,” I pushed him back to get more space and let my heart slow down. “I just don’t put my business out there for the world to know.”
“That’s one of your best friends, right?” He frowned. “Jackie, I mean. I don’t know about the man, but I assumed you two were close. Women tell each other everything.”
“We do when we’re ready. I prefer to wait to tell my friends about the men I’ve been with, preferably until after I’m done with them.”
“Are you done with me?” He held up his hands. “Let me know now, and I’ll leave.”
“Also, what was that about last night?” I ignored his question and focused on my own.
“What about last night?”
“The extra hands!” I pointed at his hands still up. “You had more than two of them.”
“You liked that, huh?” He bit his lip seductively. “There’s a lot more I can do with my shadows.”
“Did I say that?” Arms crossed over my chest in a stance of defiance, I squealed when I felt a firm pinch on my ass and looked back to see one of his floating hands. “Ah! Don’t do that.”
“Tell me you don’t like it, and I’ll never do it again.” He lowered his head, staring at me with a quirked brow.
“Just…don’t do it again.”
“Right.” He stepped aside so I could walk by him.
“I’m going to get dressed. You should do the same.” I waved him off. “Poof on over to your place.”
I stomped by him and went to the room to get dressed. Just after I closed the door behind me, my feeling of triumph slipped through my hands as I felt a firm slap on my ass.
“Not funny!” I shouted through the door.
I heard him laugh just before I felt the chill of his departure. When I opened the door to check, he was already gone.
I stood in my closet, obsessing over what to wear.
Suddenly, it felt like it mattered, because everyone would have some judgement.
Wear something too put together, and I’m trying to look good for Raymond.
Dress down, and I’m trying to deflect their attention.
Jeans and a tank. That would have to do.
I pulled the items from my closet and threw them on the bed along with underwear before heading to the bathroom.
Despite the thorough scrubbing Raymond gave my body the night before, I felt the need for a shower.
Flashbacks be damned—I needed something to ease my nerves.
By the time I was showered, dressed, and back out of my room, Raymond had returned and stood next to Kaa’s pot. He leaned over, moving his head as he examined what looked like an ordinary potted plant.
“You’re back,” I said after he neglected to acknowledge my presence.
“Yes. Tell me more about her,” he said, still looking at the plant who hadn’t yet revealed herself.
“You’re suddenly more curious about Kaa? Why?”
“Kaa? Pretty name. Did you name her that?” He glanced back at me for a moment. I nodded, and he returned his attention to the plant. “Her energy. It's not of the Earth, but I’ve encountered nothing like it before.”
“I’m not sure where she came from. I found a seed one day, planted it, and soon after, she appeared.
We’ve been together ever since. I don’t know much more about her.
I’ve been too afraid to ask anyone else in the magical community.
They’re all so greedy. If they found something of interest, they’d try to take it. ”
“She’s bonded to you.” Raymond nodded as one of his shadows lifted from the tattooed spot on his skin and reached out to Kaa like a dog. “There are etches of your energy mixed with hers. It makes her energy look kaleidoscopic.”
“Really? You can see that?” I crossed the room to lean in next to him, squinting as if I would suddenly see what he did. “I’ve always thought of her as a soulmate.”
“So that role is already taken?” He turned his head to look at me.
His question caught me off guard, but my head snapped to look at him. The moment I turned, my breath caught in my throat. Our faces were so close, a deep breath would have our lips pressed against each other, and I knew exactly where that would lead us: back to the bedroom.
Interrupting my internal conflict, Kaa took that moment to make her grand appearance. Her head appeared, lifting from between the camouflage of petals, before she snapped at him, hissing with the threatening movement.
Raymond moved away from her and me quickly and chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“She’s just protective of me.” I scratched the top of Kaa’s head, and her body vibrated, a sign she was happy with the attention she was getting.
“She’s going to have to learn to share.” Raymond straightened, and Kaa hissed again. Raymond hissed back, and Kaa lifted from the planter, stretching.
Before I could comment on how ridiculous they were both being, the doorbell rang. I pulled my phone from my pocket and saw Jackie and Miguel standing on the porch, bags of food in hand.
“They’re back.” I headed for the door, paused, and turned back to Raymond, pointing like a parent warning a toddler. “Behave.”
“Exactly what do you think I’m going to do? Strip you down and eat your pussy in front of them?” He laughed. “Jericha, I have more self-control than you give me credit for.”
“You need a filter for that mouth.” I snapped my fingers at him. “I don’t know what you’ll say or do, but be on your best behavior. Remember, I’m in control now.”
“Oh, so you’re accepting the dynamics of this relationship?” He licked his lips. “Does that mean you won’t protest tonight when I put you in your place?”
The way his voice dropped and his eyes darkened caused something sinister to stir in my stomach, but I pushed that energy back down.
If he wasn’t going to act like he had some sense, I had to, pussy quivers be damned.
I had more important shit to think about than riding his face while those extra hands held me up. “Shut it.”
“Yes, ma’am!” He straightened and gave me a stiff salute.
Hormones quelled, I marched to the door, Raymond following behind me.
When my hand touched the doorknob, I took a deep calming breath then opened it.
Just as I expected, Jackie stood there, a goofy smile plastered on her face.
Behind her, Miguel’s face looked flushed.
He was a short guy but had a powerful build and a great smile beneath a head of loose curls.