Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(79)

Soon, they were in a heated popcorn battle with the heart of the eighties rom-com on the line.

Wiggling to her knees, Rose struggled to shove popcorn down his shirt, but the damn man was too fast and too strong, easily holding both her wrists in one hand, and instead, shoved a few pieces up her own.

When he changed tactics from popcorn shoveling to tickling, Rose squirmed to get away, hitting DEFCON-1. It was either play dirty or pee her pants, and her clean underwear drawer was too low on stock for her to accept the latter.

Rose summoned her Magic to the surface, and it came eagerly, instantly raising the hair on the backs of Damian’s arms.

“We’re playing dirty now are we, little witch?” In a quick move, he wrapped his arms around her waist and, taking the brunt of the fall, rolled them to the floor. He grinned wickedly. “I win.”

Magic swirled around her hands, and with a small burst of energy, she flipped their positions. Palms braced on his chest, she sat astride his hips and grinned down at him.

“You were saying, doc?” she teased.

His hands anchored on her upper thighs, holding her close. “You may have won this round, but you’ll never convince me that this grand gesture thing is a real, worthwhile thing.”

“We’ll see, doc.” She smirked, his determination sparking her own. “We will see.”





20





Buffy Banter


People who believed in the chaos of the full moon either worked in healthcare or in a bar, because there was no other explanation for the pure bizarreness that walked through Potion’s Up every time the door opened.

Fights. Feuds. Squabbles over blood donors.

Rose’s hair still smoked from the night’s earlier dragon shifter altercation. A lesson learned on her end: don’t stand between a shifter that can spew fire and a Mate suspected of cheating. As it turned out, the shifter’s Mate and the man she met in the corner booth were cousins, a misunderstanding for sure, but it didn’t make Rose’s singed hair any less real.

Chaos, Thy Name Was Friday Night.

Gage shot her a concerned look, expecting her to quit at any moment. “You good over there, Maxwell? That dragon got a little too close for comfort.”

“He singed off an inch or two, but it’s okay. I’ll use some hair-healing conditioner tonight when I shower off the day and it’ll be good as new by morning.” She hoped. If not, she might be sporting a layered bob, a hairstyle she hadn’t rocked since middle school.

“I’m impressed.” Gage continued stacking the tower of clean mugs into the lower cabinets.

She passed a customer his beer refill. “At what? My ability to pour drinks?”

“Your restraint. Vi would’ve threatened to hex at least a dozen people already tonight, or at the very least, stuck pool cues into certain orifices.”

Now that she could see her sister doing. “I won’t deny it. That bachelorette party came pretty damn close to being hexed with Wicked Witch of the West noses when they asked to see my witch’s wart.”

Gage chuckled, the gesture lightening his eyes. “Now wouldn’t that have made memorable wedding pics?”

“Stick me with a dildo and turn it on high speed.” Harper’s tray hit the table as she stared agape at the usually serious vampire. “You laughed. I’ve never heard you laugh. Hell, I didn’t think you possessed the proper throat muscles!”

He rolled his eyes. “I laugh.”

Harper shook her head. “Grumble? Yes. Mutter? Yep. Scowl disapprovingly? You betcha. But laugh? Nope.” She turned to Rose. “Did you spell him? You did, didn’t you? Come on, you can tell me. I won’t turn you in to the authorities.”

Rose lifted her hands in mock surrender. “No spellcasting here. His laugh is Magic-free … at least from this witch.”

“I call bullshit. It’s either a spell or divine intervention.”

Gage glowered at the succubus. “Will you ever stop busting my chops?”

“Sure. When someone comes along who can do it better. I put an ad in the Supernatural Gazette, so … fingers crossed.”

Rose’s watch beeped, signaling the end of her shift. “Wow. Time flies when you’re dodging dragon fire. Gage, do you need me to stay or…”

“Nah. Go. Harp and I can deal with the stragglers. It’s winding down.”

No need to tell her twice.

It had been days since she’d laid eyes on Damian where there wasn’t a furry critter either crawling over them or wedging themselves between them. And despite the fact she loved seeing Bella’s and the puppies’ daily progress, she really needed some one-on-one time with their somewhat cantankerous caretaker.

Her fingers itched to make the long-awaited booty call the second she stepped outside.

Harper stuck her head into the break room just as she’d slid into her coat. “Oh, good. You haven’t left yet.”

Rose groaned. Damn it. She should’ve moved faster … freakin’ heel blisters. “Gage changed his mind about me leaving?”

“What? Oh, honey, no. A sexy-as-hell demon is up front asking for you. Whatever he asks of you, do it. He’s dripping lust pheromones as if he high-dived into an Olympic swimming pool filled with the stuff. If you don’t make an appearance soon, I’m gonna have myself a midshift snack.” Harper winked and disappeared back to the main room.