Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(37)
Rose shot him a glare. “Funny this morning, aren’t we? Figures you’d be a morning person.”
“And you’re not?”
“I am after I’ve had about three cups of coffee. Approach me with anything less in my system and I can’t be held accountable for my actions.”
He smirked. “Now’s who’s being funny this morning?”
“Funny? It’s the Goddess’s honest truth.” Rose returned his grin, only half-joking.
And her hands were back to playing with his hair.
She forced her hands to still. Again. “I think it’s safe to put me down now. Concussion averted thanks to your impeccable timing … and paranoia about ketamine thieves.”
Damian dropped her legs, but the arm banded around her waist stayed put. Friction from the rub of their bodies conjured a low moan from Rose, and she wasn’t the only one physically affected by their close proximity.
His erection pushed against her stomach. The devil on her shoulder chanted for her to rub herself against him as if he were a scratching post, and she a cat. For a brief second, she contemplated it.
Okay, maybe for a few prolonged seconds.
He slowly released her, stepping back and taking away the temptation. “I answered all your questions, little witch. It’s your turn to answer mine.”
“What was the question again?” she asked, dragging her gaze away from his upper body with quite a bit of difficulty. “Oh. Why am I here so early? I hoped to get a few cameras mounted before the start of morning chores and when I got here, Miguel was already working with the pups.” They both glanced to where Bella nursed the lively puppies, her tongue lolling out of her mouth in sheer canine happiness. “Their story is the perfect one to showcase first.”
Damian crouched, and seeing him, one of the puppies tried ambling closer, tripping over his too-big paws. They both laughed. “Was it your idea to put them together?”
“Maybe I watch too many Animal Planet shows, but I saw something about litter fostering once and ran it by Miguel.”
“It was a good idea.” Damian rubbed the puppy’s head before returning him to his new mom. “I should’ve thought of it sooner. It’s like Bella’s not even the same dog from two nights ago.”
“Don’t sound so surprised. People other than yourself do have the ability to have good ideas,” Rose teased coyly. “But you’re right. Bella’s eyes lit up when she heard the puppies, and then when she saw them, her pupils practically transformed into little hearts.”
“Four-legged or two, when someone finds their purpose, magical things happen. I’ll keep a close eye on them to make sure there are no issues, but so far so good. All seven of them definitely appear to be on the upswing.”
Rose wished like hell she’d be as lucky to find her purpose, but that really would be a magical occurrence. Maybe divine intervention.
Before she got stuck on the woe-is-me carousel, she refocused her attention back to half-naked Damian. “While you put on clothes, I’ll make sure the camera’s syncing to the system. That way there won’t be any hiccups when the sanctuary’s social media account announces the puppy cam later today.”
Discreetly fanning her too-hot flesh, she brushed past Damian and headed toward the office.
“Wait, Mari’s Sanctuary doesn’t have a social media account,” Damian called after her.
“We do now,” Rose threw over her shoulder. “You’re welcome!”
He grumbled before she even stepped into the office, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. She might not have yet downed her three cups of coffee this morning, but hearing Damian pretending to be annoyed was right up there with a triple-boosted caramel macchiato with extra foam.
And cinnamon.
* * *
On the way up to his apartment, Damian cursed himself and his infatuation with Rose Maxwell, and then compounded the problem in the shower when he resorted to wrapping his hand around his erection, imagining it was hers, because it wouldn’t go the hell away without it.
He’d taken so damn long to get his head—and body—in line that even Miguel gave him a look, pointedly looking at his watch when he appeared downstairs an hour later. And then he dove from patient appointments to handyman work in an attempt to avoid bumping into Rose again, but it proved impossible.
The woman was everywhere, working as hard as everyone else. She didn’t do anything half-assed. After she mucked stalls, the damn things practically sparkled, and when she fed the animals, she double-and triple-checked she’d given the exact amount needed.
Eventually, he didn’t need to look for her to know where she was at every moment, and he couldn’t blame it on his demon because even though the bastard had been closer to the surface since the run-in with Julius, he was also eerily content.
That’s why Damian spent a good portion of the day looking over his shoulder, half-expecting Julius to pop in and screw things up. Only when the night finally wound down did he let himself relax.
Rose and Terrance sat in the birthing stall with Bella and the puppies, and the witch’s soft giggle as the critters climbed all over her lap nearly sounded like music. She looked his way as he passed to the office and as bad as he wanted to go and join them, it wasn’t a good idea. Instead, he headed to the clinic and organized his med cabinet, and when it couldn’t get any more organized, his gaze drifted to the open laptop on his desk.