Always Practice Safe Hex (Stay a Spell, #4)

by Juliette Cross

Lavinia opened her mouth to reply, but then the click-clack of Queenie’s toenails on the wood floor announced her arrival. Lavinia’s expression softened from shock to sheer joy. “Look at you, pretty girl.” She lowered to her knees and held out a hand. My three-legged dog immediately pranced over to the other pretty girl in the room.

I tried to hold myself together at the sight of a beaming Lavinia on my floor in her business attire with my dog in her lap, laughing and cooing softly. She was so fucking beautiful and perfect, I couldn’t breathe.

I think the fact that I was still riding emotions of fury all the way back to my house, that I hadn’t prepared myself for what it would feel like to have her in my home.

If I didn’t know there was research that supported the primal reaction of an alpha male who held his mate in his lair, I’d have thought I was coming down with the flu. But no, this feverish feeling, accompanied by an increased heart rate and almost sickly sensation, came from the fact that she was undoubtedly my mate and was making herself at home in my personal domain, but she wasn’t mine. Yet.

She didn’t even know that grims could recognize their true mates like vampires and werewolves. But how could sh...

Yet again, I felt compelled to tell her. I wanted to even while it had been drilled into me from adolescence upward to follow the grim code. Fuck the code. I smiled at Aunt Lucille’s words ringing in my ear as...

She tapped her calendar open and scrolled. Queenie was curled up at her hip.

I closed my eyes at the longing that pierced through flesh and bone, to have her right there every day, every night, forever, looking so sweet and perfect. Then I cleared my throat.

My pulse quickened which confused me until I realized how badly I wanted her to like my home. How much I wanted her to like being here. Hopefully permanently someday if I was lucky.

“I like things in order.” She huffed a laugh. “I know, Mr. Control Freak.” She honestly had no idea.

Queenie simply lifted her head and licked Lavinia’s wrist. I frowned, jealous of my own damn dog.

I captured that look and stored it away for later. I was cataloging every one of her lovely expressions and hoarding them like golden treasures. This dragon refused to let even one of them slip away.

needing to get out of the room.

She laughed, as if she knew my behavior was erratic.

I could hardly handle having her so close—the woman of my dreams—imagining all the ways I wanted her in my house.

Sitting at the kitchen bar while I cooked us dinner, stretching out on the sofa together watching television, playing with Queenie out in the backyard, spending night after night in my bed while I pleasured her.

Mark me well…you are worthy of lo...

The supernaturals would know the truth of it, and that was what was important. To see werewolves in a friendly, fun manner, dedicating their time for charity. And not going all beast-mode in a wild, screaming crowd.

Gareth had frowned but made no further comment. I kept my grinning to a minimum, but I loved poking him.

He sat on the opposite part of the sectional sofa rather than next to me this time then reached over and tapped my phone with his index finger. The music immediately stopped. How’d he do that?

He was in a relaxed position of observation, but his body was tense, coiled. And I was the object of his inspection as Gano asked why he couldn’t get just one kiss. This wasn’t Gareth being defiant and irritated from listening to my music. This was a serenade.

And the song “Add It Up” was a plea, a command, and a countdown. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe.

He hadn’t taken his dark, predatory gaze from mine, and now he was mouthing the lyrics to...

That’s when Gareth moved one hand from his knee up his thigh and cupped his obviously hard package in his pants, all while singing about being between my thighs. I whimpered, said thighs sticking together with sweat, my panties sticky for another reason. He stood and moved slowly around the coffee table, the alternative rock beat loud and aggressive.

While sex radiated from the man, he didn’t attack me and push me into the cushions like I thought he might. Hoped. No. He bracketed his legs on the outside of mine and leaned forward, forcing me to push back into the sofa cushion.

He braced both his hands next to my shoulders, easing his face close to mine as the song finally wound to a close, ending with a shar...

“I want to fuck you, Lavinia. In my bed. Right now.”

“What’s changed? Why would you offer something like that to me?” “Because I want something from you.” “What?” The black bled farther into the white. “Your trust.”

“Yes.” The frown was gone and that incinerate-my-loins look was back. He eased forward and brushed a feather-light kiss across my mouth. “I can be gentle.” He waited, patiently as ever, while I stared slack-jawed, trying to process his request. Then finally, “Okay.”

It wasn’t in my nature to agree and go along so easily. I was always fighting back or the one who was doing the ordering around at the very least. I was used to leading. Following was new to me. But he was right. I’d agreed to obey.

To let go and let him take the reins could be exactly what I needed. That’s what Clara and Violet kept telling me anyway.

Of course, when he walked out of his bathroom in nothing but black boxer briefs, a white towel over his arm, holding a razor in one hand and a bowl of steaming water in the other, my pulse stuttered again.

Fair skin, tight muscles, just the right amount of sparse hair along his navel and across his chest. His thighs were thicker than I’d thought and the bulge in his boxer briefs was as big as I remembered.

His hot gaze caught all. He closed his eyes, nostrils flaring, as he whispered something to himself. “What’s that? I didn’t hear you,” I teased. “I was praying for patience.”

“I didn’t know you were a spiritual kind of guy.” “How could I not be?” he asked, unfolding the towel. “Perfection like this doesn’t happen by chance.”

The weight of his hand there and the fierceness of his gaze felt like a marking. Like he had every right to hold my pussy and drink in my naked body spread out before him.

Maybe the Goddess of Magic and Earth meant him just for me. Because one tiny word kept repeating inside my head. Yes.

“Be gentle,” I whispered. “I’m quite partial to everything down there.” Obsidian eyes held me in their thrall. “Trust me, Lavinia.”

I swallowed hard at his plea, for that is what it was. And wasn’t that the whole reason I’d offered to be bound? To show him that I did? I simply hadn’t expected this intimate prelude. But here we were.

“I was wondering if there was someone else I needed to put on my hitlist.” “Don’t tease,” I told him firmly. He lifted the rag, his dark gaze flicking to mine then away. “I wasn’t.” Then came the shaving gel.

“Have you done this before?” Again, I was annoyed at the jealousy I heard in my own voice.

“No, Lavinia.” His voice was low and sonorous. “I’ve never done this before.”

“What currency are you paying me in?” Grinning without opening my eyes, I answered, “Kisses.” “I’ll deliver kisses anywhere you want them.” “I meant I’d give you kisses.” I cracked an eye open. “But I’ll take them too.”

“Whatever you want.” He paused, which had me opening my eyes in a sleepy, aroused state. He shook his head on a small laugh. “If this is what it takes to get you compliant in my bed, then I’ll shave you for free for the rest of your life.”

He’d said it offhandedly. Did he mean to imply we’d be together for the rest of our lives? The thought had been laid out there, nevertheless. Me and Gareth, forever.

I tested the waters, playing right back. But also, not playing. “I’ll put it in the prenup,” I teased him.

“I won’t take your millions of dollars, and you will shave my pussy with tenderness and affection twice a month.” He sat up straight, setting the razor aside. “Deal, Lavinia.” There w...

He went all the way down, being as proficient as if this were an important job. I had a feeling this was how Gareth did everything. With utmost care and deep concentration.

Something loosened inside my chest, that melty sensation flaring back ten-fold. We hadn’t even had sex yet, and I was pretty sure that I was falling for this enigmatic man. One who had yet to truly open up to me. Baby steps, I reminded myself.

I made some unintelligible noise, part grunt, part moan as my hips came off the bed, wanting more of his attention. I was so loose and aroused and hungry for his touch. For his everything. He massaged the lotion with smooth, perfect motions but not hard enough. “Gareth,” I whispered, rocking up into his questing, exploring fingers. “Please.”