Page 14 of Paws and Claws (Saltwater Grove Romances #4)

14

TABITHA

T abitha dabbed her brush against the canvas in her living room. Her wild magic tingled at her fingertips as she tried to focus on the sunset she was painting. The colors kept bleeding together though, refusing to cooperate. Just like her thoughts about a certain sheriff.

Her phone buzzed on the paint-splattered table beside her. When she saw Dominic's name, her heart did an annoying little skip.

"Good morning. Hope you're staying out of trouble."

A smile tugged at her lips as she typed back: "Me? Trouble? Never. Unless you count mixing cerulean with crimson a crime."

His response came quickly: "Knowing you, even that's probably illegal somehow."

"Ha! Finally, a sense of humor. Who knew you had it in you, Sheriff?"

Tabitha set her phone down and tried to return to her painting, but memories of last night kept intruding. The way his hand had felt in hers, warm and strong. How his deep laugh had sent shivers through her entire body when they'd escaped the Hunters on her motorcycle.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered. "So what if he knows how to ride a motorcycle? And drives that sexy red Mustang? And has those intense green eyes that make me feel like—" She stopped herself. "No. Nope. Not going there right now."

Her phone buzzed again. "Meet tomorrow to discuss leads?"

Tabitha bit her lip, remembering how he'd stepped in front of her protectively at the bar. The same man who'd lectured her countless times about speeding had risked his own safety to shield her.

"You're just attracted to the badge," she told herself firmly. "And those shoulders. And that whole alpha male thing he does when he's being all commanding and—dammit!"

She grabbed her phone. "Sure thing, Sheriff Stick-in-the-Mud. Try not to miss me too much."

His reply made her smile: "I can't make any promises. And I prefer 'Sheriff Law-and-Order.'"

"God help me," Tabitha sighed aloud, looking at her ruined painting.

The neon sign of The Hex cast a purple glow across Tabitha's face as she opened the heavy wooden door. The familiar scent of sage and whiskey wrapped around her, but even that couldn't quite shake the sheriff from her thoughts.

Luna waved from their usual corner booth, her silver bangles catching the light. "Over here! We ordered your usual!"

"You're a lifesaver." Tabitha slid into the booth, immediately reaching for the waiting glass of whiskey. "I needed this today."

Mira leaned forward, her dark eyes sparkling. "Spill. What's got you looking so distracted?"

"Nothing." Tabitha took a long sip. "Just artist's block."

"Bull," Luna said. "You've got that look."

"What look?"

"The same one you get when you're planning something reckless." Mira twirled her martini glass. "Or someone."

Tabitha's wild magic surged, making the lights above them flicker. "Can we just play darts?"

At the dart board, Tabitha tried to focus on the game, but her thoughts kept drifting to green eyes. She threw a dart, her magic making it curve perfectly into the bullseye.

"Show off," Luna laughed.

"Speaking of showing off," Mira said, "I heard you were seen with a certain sheriff at The Underground last night."

Tabitha missed her next throw completely. "It's not what you think."

"Oh?" Luna's eyebrows shot up. "Because I think you're totally into him."

"He's insufferable." Tabitha grabbed another dart. "Always lecturing about rules and proper conduct and?—"

"And?" Mira prompted.

"And nothing. He's just..." Tabitha struggled for words that wouldn't betray her growing attraction. "He's Dominic freaking Blackmane."

"Who happens to be gorgeous," Luna added. "And single."

"And totally not my type." The dart hit the wall instead of the board. "I like wild and fun guys, remember? Not uptight sheriffs who probably color code their closets."

But even as she said it, she remembered how he'd loosened up at the bar, how his smile had made her stomach flip. How safe she'd felt with her arms around his waist on her motorcycle.

"Whatever you say, honey." Mira patted her shoulder. "But your magic only acts up like this when you're lying to yourself."

Tabitha looked up at the lights, which were indeed dancing in time with her heartbeat. "I hate you both."

The door of The Hex swung open, bringing in a gust of summer air and Riley Chen, another witch from Tabitha's social circle.

"You guys won't believe what I did!" Riley bounced over, her silver-streaked black hair dancing with static electricity. "I enchanted all the stop signs on Oak Street to spin in circles. You should have seen the looks on people's faces!"

Luna and Mira laughed, but Tabitha's smile felt forced. Her mind drifted to Fred's account of the three-car pileup. She threw another dart, letting her magic guide it perfectly to the center.

"And then," Riley continued, stealing Mira's drink, "I made the crosswalk signals play disco music instead of beeping. Total chaos!"

"Classic," Luna high-fived her. "Remember when Tabs here made all the parking meters dance the macarena?"

Tabitha's wild magic flickered uneasily. That had been three months ago, before she'd seen real destruction up close. Before she'd watched Dominic work tirelessly to keep people safe from actual threats.

"Earth to Tabitha?" Riley waved a hand in front of her face. "You're usually the first one planning the next prank. What gives?"

"Just tired," Tabitha lied, collecting her darts. The weight of them felt different now, like everything else did since working with Dominic. "Artist's block and all that."

"Well, I've got plans to turn the fountain in Town Square into a bubble bath tomorrow. You in?"

A month ago, Tabitha would've jumped at the chance. Now all she could think about was how someone might slip and fall, how emergency services would have to waste time cleaning it up, how Dominic would?—

She stopped that train of thought. When had she started measuring her actions against what the sheriff would think?

"I'll pass," Tabitha said, surprising herself. "Got a project to work on."

Riley pouted. "Since when do you turn down fun for work?"

Since she'd seen what real danger looked like. Since she'd realized there was a difference between harmless rebellion and thoughtless chaos. Since a certain green-eyed sheriff had shown her what it meant to protect people instead of just amusing herself at their expense.

Before long, Riley swayed on her barstool, her fifth cocktail sloshing dangerously. "You know who I really can't stand? That stuck-up Sheriff Blackmane."

Tabitha's wild magic sizzled beneath her skin. She focused on her pool game, trying to ignore the sudden defensiveness rising in her chest.

"He's always strutting around like he owns the place," Riley continued, her words slurring. "Acting like he's better than everyone else with his perfect posture and his perfect uniform."

"He's just doing his job," Tabitha said, her pool shot missing wide left.

"His job?" Riley snorted. "His job is being an uptight asshole. I bet he sleeps in that uniform. Probably irons his underwear too."

Luna and Mira exchanged worried glances as Tabitha's magic made her hair float slightly.

"You don't know him," Tabitha said quietly, surprising herself with how steady her voice remained. "He's actually pretty decent when you get to know him."

"Oh please." Riley's laugh turned nasty. "He's nothing but a power-tripping lion with a badge. Probably compensating for something. I heard he lives alone because no woman can stand being around such a control freak."

Tabitha's next pool shot hit with such force that the ball flew off the table. She thought of Dominic's rare smile, how his eyes crinkled at the corners when he actually relaxed. How he'd trusted her judgment about the investigation despite their history.

"That's enough, Riley."

"What's wrong, Tabs? Don't tell me you're actually defending him right now?" Riley's lip curled. "He's probably got a whole collection of your speeding tickets he jerks off to. He's nothing but a pathetic, lonely?—"

"I said stop." Tabitha turned to face her friend. "You don't know anything about him. He risks his life to protect this town. He's honorable and brave and yeah, maybe he's a little rigid sometimes, but at least he stands for something."

The silence that followed her outburst was broken only by the sound of Riley's glass hitting the table.

Riley's face twisted into an ugly sneer. "Oh, I get it now. You're just defending him because you're sucking his dick to get out of those speeding tickets. What's the matter, Tabs? Don't want anyone to know you're the sheriff's little?—"

Tabitha's fist connected with Riley's jaw before she could finish. Wild magic crackled through the air, making her purple hair float around her face. The satisfaction of shutting Riley up lasted exactly two seconds before a bolt of lightning shot past her ear.

"You want to talk trash?" Tabitha deflected Riley's next magical attack with a shield of pure energy. "At least I don't have to enchant stop signs to feel important!"

Riley's eyes blazed silver. "Better than being the sheriff's pet witch!"

The thought of Dominic's concerned face when he'd protected her made Tabitha's magic surge. Tables flew across the room as the two witches clashed. Riley's controlled spells against Tabitha's wild magic sent sparks flying everywhere.

"Break it up!" Luna shouted, throwing up a barrier between them.

Tabitha's wild magic shattered it like glass. "Take it back!"

"Make me!" Riley hurled a chair that Tabitha turned into butterflies.

More witches rushed in to help contain them. Someone's binding spell wrapped around Tabitha's waist, but her magic burned through it instantly. The air crackled with competing energies as seven different witches tried to separate them.

"You don't know anything about him!" Tabitha's voice came out raw as she blocked another of Riley's attacks. Her magic reacted to her emotions, creating a whirlwind that scattered glasses and napkins everywhere. "He's ten times the person you'll ever be!"

"Aww, does little Tabitha have a crush on the big bad sheriff?" Riley taunted, dodging a burst of wild energy.

The accusation hit too close to home, making Tabitha's magic spike dangerously. The lights in The Hex exploded, showering them all in sparks.

Three more witches joined the fray, trying to contain the magical battle that was quickly destroying the bar. But Tabitha barely noticed them, too focused on wiping that smug look off Riley's face.