Page 20 of Bewitched By the Voodoo King (The Bewitching Hour #7)

Tonight was a real date. Which felt nice considering everything Babette was putting me through.

It wasn’t enough that I was putting together my father’s funeral, but I now had to deal with all of her issues, as well.

She said she wanted closure, but the way she was leaning across my desk hinted more at seduction, and the only reason she would be doing that was if she was out for information.

I was sure she was out to get information on why Maple was here, and that was not her business.

The only reason she would want that information was to make Maple feel less than. No one had that right.

I adjusted my button-down in the mirror and tucked it into my slacks… then tugged it free again. There was a breeze in the Quarter tonight, but the humidity always crept back like it had unfinished business. I didn’t want to be drenched in sweat before dinner was even served.

I was taking her to the best Creole restaurant in all of New Orleans.

I promised her good food, experiencing all of the magic this city had to offer, and that’s what I was going to do.

I also knew that if we ate to our hearts content tonight, the night would end early.

Babette was watching me, and I couldn’t risk getting tangled up with Maple—at least not yet.

I wanted to formally announce our arrangement before the coven, but only after we’d been seen casually together.

Leaving her room in the morning was not casual.

I wanted a slow courtship, not a scandal.

So I would do this right, no matter how much I wanted to touch and taste her.

As quickly as I could, without looking desperate, I walked across the coven house to find Maple’s room.

I knocked twice, and when she pulled the door open, it was enough to knock me out.

Her hair was still in the half up and half-down style she’d sported earlier in the day, but the skin-tight black dress that stopped above her knees was enough to make my mouth water.

The last thing I would be thinking about was dinner.

“You look…” I found myself at a loss for words. “Incredible.”

Pink stained her cheeks as she blinked down at the floor. “Thank you! I’ve been needing an occasion to wear this dress.”

“You’re telling me, you’ve never worn that dress before? I don’t believe it.” I held my elbow out to her, and she smiled softly as she placed her hand in the crook of my arm.

She shrugged. “No one’s ever taken me out before.”

The words were enough to derail me, and the previous musings of her being a virgin came slamming into my head. “A pretty girl like you has never been on a date? Don’t tell me that vampire was your first kiss.”

I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if it was.

She rolled her eyes, and I found myself not wanting to look at anything but her. “No, he wasn’t my first kiss.”

“But you’ve never been on a date before?” I didn’t know which was worse… The vampire kiss or this.

Her shoulders went rigid. “There was a lot of sneaking around back home. Though I didn’t have a boyfriend or go on official first dates, I’m not an innocent spring chicken, just so you know.”

My stomach twisted. The thought of her with others was almost as bad as the thought of her being a virgin. I hated myself for both of the thoughts.

Maple glanced up at me, eyes sharp despite the softness of her voice. “You don’t have to look so horrified. I didn’t say I was out there breaking hearts. You don’t have to worry about past scorned lovers.”

“No,” I said quickly. “It’s not that. It’s just…” I blew out a breath and looked away for a second, trying to find the words that didn’t make me sound completely unhinged because that was exactly how I was feeling. “You’re not what I expected.”

One of her brows arched. “What did you expect?”

“Honestly?” I looked at her again. “A girl who would’ve had her pick of anyone. Not someone who had to sneak around for scraps of affection.”

She didn’t smile. “Yeah, well. I was the black sheep of the family, which didn’t gain me many admirers.”

Her words hit harder than I was ready for. I slowed our steps, the buzz of the Quarter fading around us for a moment.

“They were all dumb then. Every single one of them that passed you up because of something silly like not being like all of the others.”

She glanced at me, surprised, but there wasn’t anything happy in her gaze. “Rune… You have no idea what you’re saying.”

“I don’t say things I don’t mean.” I cleared my throat. “And tonight isn’t scraps. It’s the damn whole meal.”

That earned me a small smile. “Then I hope you’re hungry.”

I groaned. “If you only knew.”

She laughed and shook her head, the sound of it like sunlight, even in the dark.

We rounded the corner, and the warm glow of the restaurant lit up the sidewalk in front of us, the smell of butter and spice hanging heavy in the air.

But I barely noticed. All that mattered was her, and that meant I was in big trouble.