Page 9 of Hooked on a Demon (Leeside Witches #3)

Declan

C ollapsing onto the couch next to Buckley, Declan turns his phone back on.

Charlotte, aka Charlie, wouldn’t stop texting him while they were out with Eliana.

He told Charlie no, he couldn’t meet up tonight; she kept insisting, trying to convince him.

Rather than continue to turn her down, he thought it was best to turn his phone off.

As the device comes back to life, he sets it down on his lap and waits for the incessant buzzing to stop. It takes a minute, but eventually it does. Looking down, he sees a whopping thirty-four missed messages from Charlie, plus four from Clarissa and two from Olivia.

He releases a deep sigh. Not even reading any of the messages from Charlie, he already knows that whatever was between them needs to come to an end.

He was up-front the night they met, saying he wasn’t looking for any kind of commitment.

Now she’s not only not listening to him, but sending an additional thirty-four messages.

It’s unhinged. He brings up their chat and types out his standard break-up text.

Declan

Charlie. I had a great time with you; however, I am not looking for something serious, and I cannot give you what you need. You deserve someone better, and I wish you the best of luck in your search.

After sending the message, he goes to her contact info, taps until he reaches the block option, clicks it, and watches the number disappear from his phone.

His head falls back, resting on the arm as Buckley crawls up his side and nestles between him and the back of the couch.

Buckley’s head lands decidedly on his chest, and Declan’s hand finds the top of his furry friend’s head.

The one hundred and thirty-ish pound dog is like the most cuddly weighted blanket.

As he absentmindedly pats the top of Buckley’s head and plays with his ear, Declan finds himself closing his eyes and dozing off with thoughts of seeing Eliana tomorrow dancing in his head.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Buckley roughly pushes himself up and bounds off Declan, barking like a fool as he charges to the door. Bleary-eyed, Declan rises from the couch, where he accidentally spent the night, and staggers to the door, rubbing his hand over his face and trying to get his eyes to focus.

“Bucks. Enough.”

The barking stops.

Declan abruptly opens the door. “I don’t want what you’re selling.”

“Well, it’s good I’m not selling anything then.” Her fisted hand falls to her side, but the sneer on her face tells him everything he needs to know.

Charlie.

Fuck.

“What are you doing here, Charlotte?”

“Really? That’s what you have to say to me after that piece of shit text last night and then blocking my number. Or at least I assume you blocked it since none of my messages went through.”

Declan crosses his arms and leans against the open door frame. Buckley sits next to him, channeling his most intimidating presence, which still doesn’t come across any scarier than a teddy bear. “I said what I needed to last night.”

“You didn’t even give me a chance.”

“How do you know where I live, anyway?”

“You aren’t exactly unknown in this town, Declan.” He rolls his eyes. “I deserve an explanation. You were fine with us the other night. What happened?”

“You don’t want me to answer that.”

Her hands rest on her hips, and she juts her foot out. He knows she’s pissed, and whatever answer he gives, whether the truth or a lie, is not going to make her feel any better.

“Yes, I do. You sent me a chicken shit text, Declan. You said I deserve better, and I do. I deserve you telling me the truth to my face. I deserve at least that much respect.”

Truth it is, then. Maybe if she hates him enough, she’ll leave him alone. He didn’t lie when he said she deserved better than him. He’s not the kind of guy she wants. He’s not boyfriend material.

“Charlie, you texted me thirty-four times last night. Thirty. Four. I was out with friends. I told you I wasn’t available, and you refused to take that for an answer.

Instead, you continually hounded me, trying to convince me to leave what I was doing, which wasn’t even an option as I wasn’t the one driving.

Even if it was an option, I said no, and you refused to accept that boundary.

Your response was beyond excessive and, frankly, tells me all I need to know about you.

” He watches her face start to pinch together as she tries to fight off the tears.

But he needs her to see that what she did wasn’t okay and that there is nothing else here, so he continues, “I also knew that once I tried to break things off, you wouldn’t respond favorably which is why I blocked you.

I didn’t lie when I said I wasn’t the right person for you.

Yes, we had a good time, but it was one night.

You need more than I am willing to offer.

I have no interest in pursuing anything further with you, and the fact that you are standing here, in front of my house, after I said things were over, proves my point.

I am sorry if you are hurt, but trust me when I say I am not sorry about trying to break things off the way I did. I wish you had listened.”

Her mouth opens and closes, but no words escape. Declan takes that as the acceptance he needs. “I need to go and get Buckley his breakfast,” Buckley gruffs in agreement beside him, “and then get ready for work. I hope you have the day you deserve. Goodbye, Charlotte.”

With Buckley following him, Declan steps back and closes the door, leaving her on the front step.

He leans against the door, listening carefully and hoping she will be smart and walk away.

He hears a sniffle, her footsteps fall away, and her car starts.

Only when he’s sure she’s gone does he move back into the house to start the morning routine with Buckley happily bouncing behind him.

* * *

Stepping out from under a hoisted car, he wipes his hands with the rag from his pocket and tosses it on the shelf beside the tool chest. His forearm slides across his forehead, wiping away the small beads of sweat that formed from a strangely difficult-to-remove oil filter, and then he takes a swig of water from his oversized bottle.

It’s one of those massive ones that holds a bazillion ounces and has times listed on the size to try and encourage him to drink.

Petra got it for him last Christmas, and as much as he hates to admit it, seeing it go down and hit that little goal throughout the day is oddly satisfying.

As he puts the lid back on and picks up his rag again, one of his front staff comes through the door into the shop. “Hey, boss. Some blond lady is here for you.”

Eliana. His heart does a little skip, and fuck him if he doesn’t enjoy it. He clears his throat, hoping it will hide the excitement that’s now rising in him. “Thanks. Tell her I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Will do.”

“Oh, and Xavi, can you bring her car around? It’s the silver Nissan.”

“On it,” Xavi responds before turning and leaving through the same door he entered. Declan watches him go to the key wall and then dash off again through the back door to retrieve her car.

He washes his hands in the sink, buying himself some time to try and settle the butterflies in his stomach as he reminds himself that she’s a client. Who also happens to be his best friend’s sister.

Taking a deep breath, he pushes himself through the door and steps into the reception area, where she stands looking out the window.

The sunlight streaming in frames her like she’s a goddess unleashed, making her glow.

It highlights her curves perfectly, and he shakes his head, trying to clear it from the racing thoughts that certainly lead to filthy places.

She must hear his approach as she turns slightly and spots him, giving him what he hopes is a smile meant just for him. And if his heart skipped a beat when he heard she was here, well, seeing her smile at him has his heart doing a full-on jig.

He’s so fucked, and he doesn’t even care. Not if it means he gets to see her look like this.

“Hi, Declan.”

He steps toward her. “Hi.”

A silence falls between them and it’s as if his brain has forgotten how to form words or what it is he needs to say.

Her head tilts to the side, watching him curiously.

It takes a moment before she finally says, “Is my car ready?” and gestures behind her with her thumb to the parking lot in front of the shop.

The question finally sparks the routine back into him, snapping him back into mechanic mode.

“Yes. Sorry. Xavi should be bringing it out front any moment.” As he finishes his statement, her car pulls out and parks in the spot next to the door.

“There it is.” He awkwardly points to it.

“We can go and take a look first if you want.”

“Sure. That sounds good.”

Declan nods and steps to the side, allowing her space to move and reaches for the door.

He pulls it open and gestures with his free hand for her to go through first. As she passes in front of him, his nose inhales the most wonderful scent—peppermint and a hint of something citrusy.

He sniffs again lightly, not wanting to make what he’s doing obvious.

Grapefruit. Peppermint and grapefruit. His new favorite smells.

He follows behind her, trying to burn the scent into his memory before settling beside her.

“Alright, so we talked about the starter. We got that fixed, and the battery was nearing the end of its life anyway, so that was also replaced. Upon inspection, as you would have seen in the report, we noticed the tie-rods were toast, and it needed an oil change. So we took care of those, too. It was honestly a good thing it came in when it did. It should start with no problem now, and if there are any concerns over the next couple of days, please don’t hesitate to reach out or bring it back. ”