Page 73 of All's Fair in Love and Magic

He snorted.

Didn’t that make twice in one day that I’d made him laugh? Or three times? I couldn’t remember, but it had to be a new record.

When we reached the bungalow, I tugged Liam toward the patio wordlessly. The sun was about to disappear completely, and I wanted to watch the last shred of it fade into the horizon.

Not in the mood to tease him into sitting next to me, I just pulled him down with me when I took a seat on the couch. He didn’t protest, sitting down right beside me. I curled up against him, draping my legs over his thighs, and he pulled me closer.

We sat quietly and watched as the world was slowly bathed in darkness. With the steady sound of the waves acting as white noise, my eyelids grew heavier.

I was vaguely aware of Liam carrying me to bed and curling up on the mattress with me, but I was so comfortable that sleep came quickly.

It was a major sacrifice,but I survived another night of being woken by heat—twice—and having Liam’s face and hands on my body to take care of the need.

When morning came around, we headed out bright and early to work on the wards. There was still no sign of the other witches, thankfully.

I took it easier than I had when death was imminent, but made a ton of progress. Though I’d already said my official goodbyes to Madison and Vera, we texted a few times on and off throughout the day.

Things were more comfortable between me and Liam, too, which was nice.

The next two days passed similarly, until I was finally done adding runes to the wards.

Harv stopped by the bungalow the night I finished. He needed to talk about something related to the resort, I guess.

Liam and I were curled up on the porch together with drinks we had ordered in celebration. He was shirtless, wearing just a pair of swim trunks, and I had on my usual floral bikini and a mesh coverup. A box of chocolates from the demons’ shop sat on the couch beside us, completely empty.

After checking to make sure I was good with it, Liam waved Harvey closer.

My runes caught him off guard when he tried to step through them.

“Just walk slowly,” I called out. “And think peaceful thoughts. If you want either of us dead, the magic will kill you.”

Harv’s eyebrows shot upward. “I think I’m good out here.”

I rolled my eyes.

Liam waved him forward. “It’s fine. Sage’s magic isn’t going to kill you.”

“Cecil and his buddies didn’t think so either.”

“They wanted me dead,” I pointed out.

Harv took a slow, reluctant step forward.

When the runes didn’t electrocute him immediately, I knew he didn’t want to kill us. That was good.

He shuffled through the magic, letting out a breath of relief when he finally reached the edge of the sectional and plopped down on it. “Your power packs a punch.”

“I’m sure yours would too if we could feel it,” I said easily.

He was an alpha werewolf, after all.

He made a noncommittal noise.

“Where’s Bailey?” Liam asked casually.

“On the beach.” Harv’s response was instant, and his recovery was terrible. “I, uh, assume. She said she usually spends her evenings watching the sunset.”

“You guys don’t need to lie about your relationship,” I said. “Liam doesn’t care.”