Page 14 of Bewitchingly Hers (Witches of Pleasant Grove #3)
Heading for the door, I shoved my feet into my boots and grabbed my coat off the front rack where I’d left it yesterday. I pulled it on, pausing for a moment to find Eryne with her hip propped against the counter, watching me.
She gave me a small smile. “Barrett?”
I stopped in my tracks. “Yes?”
“Do you want to get a drink tonight?” She wet her lips. “With me?”
A grin split my face, and my relief was palpable. “Thought you’d never ask, sugar. I’d love to.”
Hours later, I was sitting at the bar at the Enchanted Cauldron, nursing a glass of whiskey that had seemed like a better idea when I’d gotten here then it did now, waiting for Eryne to arrive.
I’d spent my day digging through dusty books at the library, though she was right that I could be researching for a week and not find anything.
So far, I’d found a few leather-bound history books that talked about the founding of Pleasant Grove—how they’d made the town as a safe haven for witches to avoid persecution—but nothing about the wards or the magic that powered this place.
If they’d known about shifters, they hadn’t left any indication in their writings.
Something had to explain what was going on here. And I was determined to find it.
Even without my wolf senses, I would have known the exact moment Eryne entered the room. It was like my body came to life with awareness, a prickling against my skin that couldn’t be denied. That golden, shimmering thread between us strengthened.
I sat up straighter, as her eyes met mine, unable to hide my smile at the sight of her.
She’d changed since I saw her this morning, and it felt like my tongue was stuck in my throat.
Fuck, she was beautiful. Her hair was in loose curls, a pair of spiderweb drop earrings hanging from her dainty ears, a short black dress that formed a deep v in the front.
Her legs looked a million miles long in a pair of black leather heeled Doc Marten boots that seemed so perfectly her.
It was hard to deny my attraction to her.
It was more than that, though. In just a few days, I couldn’t ignore how adorable I found all of her little quirks.
The way she babbled, talking to herself.
Her sense of humor. The way she always smelled sweet, like sugar.
The twinkle in her eyes when she found something amusing.
How much I wanted her.
I cleared my throat, standing up as she walked over to me, unable to take my eyes off of her for one single moment.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hi.”
My hand itched to follow the same path, to caress her cheek, to feel her soft skin under mine.
“Hi,” I said back, giving her body a long, blatant perusal. Fuck, I hadn’t let myself look at her this long before. And it was a problem, considering how my dick was already reacting to the sight of her. “You look…” I trailed off. “ Wow .”
Eryne did a little spin, her eyes lighting up. “That good, huh?”
I took another sip of my drink. “Mmm. Very.”
She smiled, sliding onto the stool next to mine. The bartender, a witch with bright blue hair, came over, quickly taking Eryne’s order. A few minutes later, her drink slid across the counter, unassisted.
Shaking my head, I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. I still hadn’t gotten used to how they used magic for such mundane things.
“How was your day?” I asked, leaning my chin on my hand as I watched her sip the cocktail.
“Mmm.” Her tongue darted out to catch a drop on her lip. “It was good. Quieter than normal, but that’s a relief. And I didn’t have to work the counter, so I just worked on inventory and ordering.” She looked up at me, then wrinkled her nose. “This is weird.”
“How so?” I rotated my glass in my hands.
Eryne shrugged. “It’s like you said last night… it feels like I’ve known you forever. Not only a few days.” Her eyes met mine. “I don’t know why I feel so comfortable around you. It’s just so… easy.”
I placed my hand on her thigh, slowly rubbing my thumb across her skin. “I know what you mean,” I said.
Her eyes fluttered shut as I continued caressing her thigh. Now that I’d started touching her, I couldn’t stop. “What are we doing, Barrett?” Her words were barely a whisper.
“Having drinks,” I answered, leaning over to brush my lips over her ear. “What else would we be doing, sugar?”
She let out a little whimper, and I sat back up straight, deciding to change the subject in an effort to control myself. “So, you like it? Your job?”
Her eyes darted over to me, a little hazy.
“Huh?” She blinked. “Oh. Yeah. I do.” She traced the rim of her drink with her thumb.
It was a shimmering, purple liquid that looked sweet.
Just like her. “When Willow and Luna had first offered me the promotion, I didn’t know anything about running a business, let alone a coffee shop.
But it turns out… I’m pretty good at it.
I like being out there, serving customers and chatting with everyone in town, but I like being in the back office even more.
” That stubborn curl sprang free from her ear, and she tucked it back again.
“Healing, coffee making, business running—what aren’t you good at?”
Eryne blushed, like she didn’t see how amazing she was. “Enough about me. How was your day? Did you find anything out in the library?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “No. A lot of dusty old books that hadn’t been opened in a century, though.”
She looked disappointed.
“Hey.” I reached out, squeezing her shoulder. “I’m not going to give up. Don’t worry—we’ll figure out what’s going on. And how to keep the town safe.”
She finished her drink, and I signaled for the bartender to bring us both another. As we both sipped on our second drinks, she told me all about her new coven and the twelve other witches that belonged to it, including Iris, the bartender.
“We should go to the Gazette tomorrow.” Eryne announced. “Constance will help.” She shuddered. “I only find her slightly terrifying, but she’ll help.”
I frowned. “Why?”
“Why do I find her terrifying?” The redhead next to me laughed, then gave me a deadpan look. “Have you ever met a necromancer?”
“No.” I shook my head. And I wasn’t really sure I wanted to.
She bit her lip. “She digs up all the best gossip though.” Eryne leaned over. “Pun intended.”
I let out a howl of a laugh. “You’re just fucking with me, right?”
“Oh, no. She actually does terrify me.” She lowered her voice. “Don’t get on her bad side.”
“Noted.” I took a deep pull from my glass. “Are there any other members of your coven I should be scared of?”
“Scared of? No. Cait’s particularly good at casting hexes, though, so watch your back around her. And then Rina and Wendy are…” She winced. “Well, they’re the closest thing I have to best friends, and I love them, but they’re really nosy. Particularly about us.”
“Us?” I asked. “Is there an us?”
She turned to look at me, and her knees slotted in between my legs.
It wasn’t lost on me that she fit perfectly.
Like that was where she’d always been meant to be.
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “Is there?”
“You tell me.” I reached out, tucking that piece of bright copper hair that kept springing free back behind her ear.
“ Barrett .”
“Eryne,” I said, my voice rough as I rubbed my thumb across her cheekbone. “I don’t know what we’re doing here.”
She clutched the sides of my jacket. “I don’t know either.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “All I know is that I want you.” Her eyelashes fluttered and her lips were right there.
All I had to do was lean down and take it.
How could I hold back anymore, when she said those words? I couldn’t.
“Fuck it,” I growled, bringing my lips down to meet hers.
It was hardly more than a slow peck, but it felt like something inside of me was rearranging at the touch. Like there was a before Eryne and an after Eryne, and I would never be quite the same man—or wolf—ever again.
Her arms looped around my neck, and she pressed her lips to mine again. A low rumble of satisfaction burst through my chest as I kissed her.
Yes, my wolf agreed. Kiss our pretty little mate.
I wove my fingers through her hair, tugging her closer to me, knowing there was no way in hell I was going to be able to stop. Not when I wanted her this badly.
Too badly to want to stop.