Page 1 of Rise of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow #17)

Briggs Williams stared down at the gorgeous brunette next to him and grinned.

Melissa, his fake fiancée for all of about thirty seconds, had her hands curled into fists and looked ready to spit nails.

He couldn’t deny that in that moment she was a major turn on.

But it wasn’t like he could do anything about it in the middle of the Townsend’s brewery.

Especially not when his semi-famous ex-fling happened to be standing in front of them, undressing him with her eyes.

“Excuse me,” Melissa said as she stared pointedly at Kassie Kinny’s fingers that were lingering on Briggs’s chest and then shifted her gaze to Kassie herself. “I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s probably best if you take your hands off my fiancé and take a step back.”

Kassie, Briggs’s former situationship, blinked at Melissa and then shrugged as she let her hands fall to her sides. “Sorry. I was just a little taken aback.” Then she scowled at Briggs. “A phone call would have been nice. When exactly were you going to tell me you are involved with someone else?”

Briggs opened his mouth to tell her never, but before he could get the word out, his boss, Austin Steele, appeared beside them.

“There you are,” Austin said, clasping Briggs on the back.

“I’m assuming that Kassie already told you there’s been a change with her new album.

She liked our work so much she lobbied to record with us again, and the studio wants Kassie’s new album ASAP.

So we’re going to start recording tomorrow.

Early. I want to get started by eight. Cool? ”

“Um, sure,” Briggs said. He worked for Austin at his recording studio, doing the sound mixing on various projects.

In fact, that was how he’d met Kassie in the first place.

He’d worked on her debut album over a year ago when they’d all been living in Los Angeles.

They’d had a short fling before she’d gone out on tour for the past year.

But he hadn’t known she’d be coming to Keating Hollow to record her next record.

He’d just assumed she’d do that in LA again.

“Great.” Austin gestured to Kassie. “Since she’s staying with you, do your best to make sure she gets to the studio on time, will you? If I recall, Kassie, you’re not exactly the most punctual.”

“I can’t help it if I’m better as a night owl. Most musicians are, Austin.” She smiled prettily at him.

“But your voice is better first thing in the morning,” he said. “Drink your tea and stay away from dairy.”

Briggs was momentarily speechless as he tried to process what he’d just heard. “Austin, I think there’s been?—”

“Gotta go,” Austin said right after his phone buzzed with a text. “We’ll talk more in the morning. Brinn’s waiting for me.” He hurried over to the front door, where his wife was standing, and then they both disappeared outside.

“Why does Austin think you’re staying with me?” Briggs demanded, glaring at Kassie.

She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I stay with you? Last year, you said your door was always open the next time I was in town.”

“That was when we were in LA. And it wasn’t an open invitation to just move in, Kassie,” Briggs said tightly.

“You sure seemed welcoming when you were stripping my clothes off every night!” she shot back.

Melissa cleared her throat. “I hate to butt in, but Kassie, I think it’s probably best if you get a room at the inn.”

Leaning into Melissa, Briggs squeezed her hip in a silent thank you.

“I can’t,” Kassie said quietly, averting her eyes.

“Why not?” Briggs asked, his tone clipped with irritation. There was no way he was sharing his house with her. Not after the gazillion texts she’d sent after he’d made it clear they weren’t going to be an item.

She closed her eyes as she sucked in a sharp breath.

“My credit card is maxed out, and the only way the label would let me record up here was if I covered my travel expenses. But since you’re here, I figured…

” Kassie waved a hand at him. “You didn’t seem to have a problem sharing your bed every night before, so I figured I’d surprise you. ”

Briggs ground his teeth together. There was a reason he’d stopped answering her texts.

While he’d thought they were casual, she’d somehow decided that they were in a committed relationship.

And when he’d told her he didn’t do long distance, she’d just said that they’d see about that.

She began texting him every day, updating him on what she was doing.

He’d tried to be polite and send short answers in the beginning, but he soon learned that if he gave an inch she’d take a mile, and he’d just stopped answering altogether.

If she’d been anyone else, she’d have taken the hint.

But she wasn’t. She was Kassie Kinny, an up-and-coming pop star who had started to act like the world should bow at her feet… especially Briggs.

“Last call!” Rhys Silver called from the bar.

“Looks like you have a houseguest, Briggs,” Melissa said with a shrug.

“No, I don’t. She can’t stay with us,” he insisted.

Melissa raised one eyebrow and mouthed, Us?

“Give us a moment,” Briggs said to Kassie as he wrapped his hand around Melissa’s wrist and pulled her back toward the hall that led to the restrooms. Once they were out of everyone’s earshot, Briggs clasped both of her hands and said, “You can’t leave me alone with her.”

“What’s she going to do, bite?” Melissa shook her head at him. “You’re a big boy, Briggs. I’m sure you can handle one houseguest.”

“If King was still living with me, then maybe,” Briggs said. “He’d be a decent buffer, but with him living with Sadie now, it’s not like I can ask him to come back and… I just can’t be alone with her.”

“Why? Are you afraid you can’t control yourself?” Melissa asked with a look of sheer annoyance on her face. “We’re not even dating. It’s one thing to pretend to be engaged for an evening, but it’s entirely another to have a sleepover. You’re asking a bit much, don’t you think?”

“I’m asking as a friend, Mel,” he said, feeling desperate.

“I’m afraid it could turn into some kind of Fatal Attraction situation.

There’s a reason why I begged you to play my fiancée.

” The moment Kassie had walked into the brewery, he’d impulsively asked Melissa to pretend to be his fiancée, and lucky for him, she’d played along.

Now if only he could get her to keep it up for just a little while longer, he might be able to survive Kassie’s stay in Keating Hollow.

“So I’d be the one with a boiled bunny on my stove?” she asked, her expression morphing to horrified.

“Oh, come on, Melissa. I’m sure she won’t go that far.

But you just don’t understand how relentless this chick is.

” He whipped out his phone, pulled up her name, and showed Melissa the endless texts that Kassie had sent over the past twelve months.

“If I don’t have a buffer, she’s going to drive me insane. ”

Melissa took a few seconds to scroll through the texts, and when she looked up at him, her eyes were wide with disbelief. “She sent all of these?”

He nodded. “You heard Austin. She told him she’s staying with me.

I can’t just tell her no when she has nowhere to go.

Especially not since I know the studio needs the business.

If you’d come stay just long enough for us to find her something else, a short-term rental or something, I’d owe you a huge favor. ”

“Who’s going to pay for the rental?” she asked. “You?”

“Maybe. If I have to.” Briggs stared at her in desperation. “Please, Melissa. If she thinks we’re really together, I’m pretty sure she’ll leave me alone.”

Melissa grimaced but then let out a long breath and said, “Fine. But just for tonight. Tomorrow, we figure something else out.”

Briggs pulled her into a hug, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his chest. “You are my new favorite person.”

“I bet.” She stepped back and smoothed her dress. “Two conditions. I have to stop at my house to get a few things, and you’re making breakfast. In bed, preferably.”

“Anything you want. I’ll stop by the store on the way home, and we’ll meet you back at my house. Deal?”

Melissa nodded reluctantly and then muttered, “What have I gotten myself into?”

He ignored the question, grabbed her by the hand, and led her back over to where Kassie was waiting.

The pop star looked at him with a sour expression on her face. “Can we get going? It’s been a long day, and all I want to do is soak in a hot bath and then crawl into bed.”

Melissa snorted softly as she shook her head.

Kassie ignored her as she stared up at Briggs expectantly.

“We can go, but I have to make a stop on the way home,” Briggs said. “You can follow me and then…”

Kassie held out her hand. “I have the address. Just give me a spare key, and I can let myself in.”

Melissa let out a bark of humorless laughter before she said, “You’re an entitled little thing, aren’t you?” Then she turned to Briggs, pressed up onto her tiptoes, and after kissing him on the cheek, she whispered, “Don’t cave in to her demands. I’ll see you in about a half hour.”

Briggs watched as Melissa headed out of the brewery, and then he turned to Kassie. “I’m not giving you a key. You can either go wait for me at the house, or you can follow me to the grocery store. I need to pick up a few things.”

“The grocery store? Oh, good idea. I remember how bare your fridge always used to be. Well, unless you counted all the beer that you and King kept on hand. I definitely could use a few things. I’ll follow you.”

“Suit yourself,” he said and then strode out of the brewery, wishing the ground would somehow open up and swallow her whole.