Page 39 of Daddy's Friend’s Mate

“What a gentleman.”

Conflict grew inside me, a torrent of opposition that made me want to lay down and sleep for ages. The way his eyes raked over my naked body flushed me with heated desire. Yet, at the same time, the sweet passion was met with crushing guilt.

Still, I stood there. I let him drink in my naked visage. Nothing could stop me from showing off the body I adored every single day. There wasn’t a person on this planet—human or otherwise—who could upset me about my curves. I was a gorgeous, voluptuous goddess inhabiting a human form capable of magic. I could zap the haters with the snap of my fingers.

Eric swallowed hard. “GG?”

I smiled confidently. “Yes, Eric?”

“Could you, uh…?”

I sighed dramatically. “I suppose.”

After using a tiny pinch of magic to fix my leggings and getting my clothes back on, I felt more naked than ever, exposed by the fact that my clothes were hiding something new. Eric hadn’t bruised me. He hadn’t left any hickeys that I could sense. Though I would need to thoroughly inspect once we got back to the cottage.

No, I was hiding a secret, something I swore I wouldn’t do.

I stepped away from the riverbank and walked toward one of the trees in the field, one that hadn’t been used as a prop for sex. Sex like that can make great magic.

While placing my hands on the cool bark, I focused on the life-giving energy from the trees, the ground, and the river. Even soiled things had energy. Much of the run-off from the warehouse wasn’t as icky as it had been when the factory was running, but I still had to be mindful of the sludge. That stuff had been pretty thick in the tunnels, ancient grime that clung to whatever was around that could rot under its influence.

Magic worked similarly. But if I dug beneath the muck and dove into the core of the earth, I could use that glorious well of magma to give me the strength I needed to find the cottage. One emotionally charged item was all it would take to locate our temporary home.

The leather vest.

Strangely enough, that thought pinpointed the cottage in my mind’s eye—to the right of the river and up through the trees, then left. Since the vest was worn the other night while I was out with Eric, it had been charged with my thoughts of that night.

Like my desire, my forbidden thoughts, my sheer disregard for promises.

I took my hands away from the tree.

Eric wandered up to me while pulling on his t-shirt. Unfair—I was enjoying the view. And I thought perhaps he might shift into his wolf form to get us back faster.

“Got it?” he asked.

I nodded. “Here, let me touch your forehead so you can get the directions.”

“Again, with the magic.”

“Would you prefer I lead you through the woods?”

He chuckled playfully. “Oh darling, I wouldn’t dream of letting you go ahead of me.”

I frowned. “You think I’ll get us lost?”

His chuckle grew louder as he hugged my waist with one arm. “No, GG. I wouldn’t dare send you ahead without knowing what danger awaits us.”

“So, I belong behind you.”

“At my side.” He bowed his head toward me. “Now, give me the directions before I try for round two.”

***

With a hot shower under my belt and enough coffee to jumpstart an engine, I was ready to discuss the next phase of our plan. Eric had prepared scrambled eggs with bacon and made another small pot of coffee for us to split. One more cup couldn’t hurt. Besides, it would go great with the breakfast he made.

The clock above the kitchen sink said it was half past noon. Well, afternoon lunch could still be breakfast in my world. We carried our plates to the porch as soon as everything was ready. Weather like this needed to be enjoyed before we went back to the salty air that stung my cheeks on the coast of South Carolina.

I collapsed into the wicker chair closest to the hot tub I had yet to enjoy. “Maybe tonight, we can take a dip.”

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