A Little Wicked (The Bewitching Hour Book #4)(7)
“Hey,” said Dante, sensing that she was still freaked out. “Head back to the line. We only have another hour and we can get out of here. We can get some Chinese and watch a movie at my place.”
All of that sounded great. Very normal and exactly what a new couple would be doing. “Chinese sounds good. Would your roommates want some?” Dante, ever the conundrum, lived with two women, Lindsey and Lacey. Except after meeting the women, it was very obvious that she had nothing to worry about with either of them.
He looked up and tilted his head back and forth as though considering it. “Yeah, I was thinking about asking them to give us some space.”
Claire smiled up at him, and for the first time since she snapped out of the dream, she actually felt awake. “That actually sounds great.”
“Awesome. I am going to spend the next hour thinking of the best movie to get you naked by the end of the night.”
Claire let out a laugh and felt the heat creep into her cheeks. Even though Dante had been completely respectful of her inexperience compared to his, well, free-loving lifestyle, he still liked to make her blush whenever he could. And considering she was more than willing to get rid of her virgin label, she was very okay with that. “Tonight then.” She smiled up at him.
“Good. Now maybe we should work on the line before the newest civil war starts here in New York City.”
“You don’t have to be here,” said Sam as they stood outside the elevator at Claudia’s building.
Derek frowned as he shifted his weight, looking as though he wanted to be anywhere else. “You can’t keep me out.”
“It’s not about keeping you out. It’s about trying to keep you as sane as possible.”
He glanced over at her and raised a brow. “I passed up the option of sanity a long time ago.”
“I noticed,” she said, half sarcastically and half seriously. Because some part of her really did think that he was crazy to want to be there. Want to be with her. And it wasn’t as if she were imagining things or sabotaging a promising relationship.
Her family had almost killed his father. Tried to break them up multiple times. Used him as a weapon to kill someone. Really, anyone else would have run for the hills by now. The only explanation was that he was insane or stupid, and she knew from experience how smart Derek was.
“What was it you wanted to talk to Claudia about?” asked Sam. When he asked whether she could meet him there, she had a hundred questions, but because she was driving through rush-hour traffic in the city, she had to hold off her curiosity. Now that they were on their way up to Claudia, she wanted answers.
“Parker and I were spitballing some ideas and there are some things that don’t really add up.”
Sam scoffed. “Have you met Claudia? The only language she speaks is half-truth.”
“Yes, but I think that after everything we’ve been through, she owes me a few answers. Besides, she likes me.”
Sam’s eyes practically bulged out of her head at the crazy assertion, but the elevator doors opened on the penthouse level before she could say anything.
“What else is here?” Derek stepped off the elevator. “I did an Internet search, but nothing came up. Is it just a giant empty building that your grandmother sits on top of like a gargoyle?”
“One, please don’t compare my grandmother to a gargoyle. Two, please don’t change the subject. Why on earth would you think Claudia likes you? She literally brainwashed me to get us to break up.”
“Her own granddaughter turned against her. Now you’re one of the only things she has left and I make you happy. Therefore, she likes me.”
“Weak, Pierce. Very weak.”
“I’m trying to think positively,” he said with a scrunched face. “It doesn’t come naturally.”
“Obviously.”
“Did you get a chance to relax today?”
She thought about the very unsettling visit to her mother’s earlier that day. “Not exactly.” Before she could give more detail, they reached Claudia’s office and Derek, who normally always opened doors for her, allowed her to take the lead.
She pulled the handle, revealing Claudia’s large office. Her desk sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows as the main centerpiece of the room. Sam had a feeling that most modern offices these days had treadmills and TVs, but Claudia was still firmly rooted in the past. She might look like a well-kept fifty, but in reality, she was nearing a hundred, and the technological age was still new to her. And when you had magic at your fingertips, smartphones just weren’t that impressive.
“Samantha,” she said with a smile. “Detective,” she said with much less of a smile. “What can I help you with?”
Sam still didn’t think they could consider Claudia supportive, but that attitude was a considerable improvement over how she had been lately.
“Hello, Grandmother,” said Sam dutifully as she and Derek walked into the office. The walls on each side were covered with bookshelves with modern textbooks and a few ancient spell books. Sam knew from experience that all of her more valuable spell books were hidden in the secret room to the side, but she supposed having a few out just looked good.
Claudia motioned to the chairs in front of the desk and Sam sat down. A few seconds later, Derek followed suit. “Derek has a few questions he wanted to ask,” said Sam carefully. She didn’t want to upset Claudia. If she decided she didn’t want to answer questions, there was no way to force her into anything.