Page 33 of Hell and Hexes
My sister blinked, the fire abruptly extinguishing from her fingertips. Then she tilted her head as she regarded me. “Sylvie, you’re always the peacemaker, but just let me handle this one.”
I waved her off, pushing Eshu backward from the kitchen. “Nope. You’re in charge of meatloaf. The guys are handling the rest of the dinner. I’ve got this.”
Before she could reply, I had Eshu out of the kitchen and into the dining room. My other sisters peered at me in surprise. I ignored their curious stares as I wrestled the bottle of wine from Eshu’s hands, putting it on the table before shoving him toward the tiny half-bathroom beside the staircase.
“That wine is an offering to me,” Eshu complained. “It’s mine. No one better touch it. Except for you, couch-witch. You are welcome to all my offerings. And my giant cock. You’re always welcome to that.”
I looked heavenward, shaking my head as I pushed him into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.
“What are you doing here?” I hissed, poking him in the chest. Cassie and Lucien had heard Eshu proposition me for the two weeks I’d recovered on the couch, but none of my other sisters had and I was pretty sure they were all dying of curiosity on the other side of this door.
Well, except for Ophelia, that is.
“It’s family dinner night.” He pulled me into his arms and kissed me.
I’ll admit for a split second I forgot about the awkwardness of having my casual fling show up for family dinner night and wondered if said family would notice my absence for ten or fifteen minutes. Maybe twenty minutes. How fast could we do it, and what positions would we manage in this tiny powder-room?
I put a hand on his chest and reluctantly pulled away. “Eshu, it’sfamilydinner night.Family.”
“I know. And it’s meatloaf. I love meatloaf.” He tried to kiss me again and I did my best to evade him.
“We’re not…you’re not.” I grimaced, wondering how the heck I was going to say this without hurting his feelings or sounding like a callous witch. “Eshu, we’re friends. We’ve slept together once. That’s not a family-dinner level relationship.”
“Not once, eight times.” He’d given up and instead was now trailing kisses down my neck, pulling me tight against his rather impressive erection. “Unless you’re talking actual sleep. In that case, I’m not sure if the few hours we got here and there even qualifies as once. I’d like to sleep with you though, my couch-witch. After lots of sex, that is.”
I was seriously ready to throw caution to the winds and screw this guy in the bathroom. The meatloaf and my family could wait. I wavered, then firmed up my resolve.
“Eshu, lots of sex in a twenty-four-hour period does not mean you get to just show up at family dinner. You’re not family.”
“Lucien, Hadur, and Nash aren’t family,” he argued, still kissing my neck. “And neither is that raccoon hanging out by the back door that your one sister slips food to throughout the evening.”
“They’re in a long-term relationship with my sisters,” I argued back. “Well, except for the raccoon, and as you’ll notice, he’s not inside with a plate set at the table. You and I don’t have a long-term relationship. We’re friends who had a whole lot of sex last night and this morning.”
“I think that qualifies.” He pulled back, his dark eyes searching mine. “But if you don’t want me here, if you are embarrassed by what we have with each other and don’t want your family to know. If you want me to go, then I will.”
I felt like a total jerk at his words. And it was true—Iwasa bit ashamed of what we had together. I was having a hot-and-heavy casual sex thing with a not-quite-a-demon that Cassie and Lucien disapproved of. If I were my own client, I’d be having a serious discussion right now about my need for my eldest sister’s approval, and why I felt it was important for me to hold on to a false persona of not being the sort of woman who brought a silly, frivolous demon into her home and had no-strings-attached sex with himall night long.
I saw the hurt in his eyes, but I also saw a devilish gleam there and had been a therapist long enough to know what that meant.
“Eshu, emotional manipulation does not establish a good foundation for a relationship. If you truly want something going forward with me, whether that’s a friends-with-benefits deal or something more, then you need to be honest and open with your emotions.”
He grinned and rubbed himself against me. “My couch-witch is brilliant. And beautiful. And sexy. I love meatloaf. I want to stay and be part of your family and enjoy Sunday dinners with you all. But if you truly think it’s best for me to leave, then I will. I only ask that you slip me a plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes out the back door like your sister does with the raccoon.”
I burst out laughing, something warm and electric sparking inside of me. I lov—liked this guy. I liked him a lot. Screw it. We’d never allowed casual boyfriends at Sunday night dinner, but Lucien, Hadur, and Nash hadn’t exactly been with my sisters very long before they started attending. Technically Nash attended uninvited that first night when he appeared to take my soul and ended up resurrecting me.
I was making a judgement call. And if anyone had a problem with it, they could address it with me tomorrow, after we’d enjoyed meatloaf.
“I’ll set a place for you at the table.” I snaked my hands around Eshu’s neck. “Can’t have you eating outside with the raccoon, can I?”
He caught his breath, then slid his hands down to my ass, lifting me off my feet and against him as his lips claimed mine. My legs wrapped around his hips, pushing hard against him as he spun me around, then took a step forward and pressed my back against the narrow wall. My fingers stroked his neck as he held my rear with one hand and snaked the other up the front of my shirt.
There was a bang on the door, and I shrieked into his mouth, letting go of Eshu’s neck. Thankfully, he seemed unbothered by the interruption as he continued to hold me upright and against the wall, fondling me through my bra, his tongue dancing with mine.
“Sylvie?” Glenda called out. “Are you guys done in there? I’ve got to pee, and I don’t want to have to go all the way upstairs. Heaven knows what sorts of kinky stuff Cassie is keeping in that bathroom.”
I broke off our kiss, resting my forehead against Eshu’s shoulder while I tried to catch my breath. It wasn’t easy since he was completely ignoring Glenda and still caressing my boobs.
“Just…just a second,” I called out. Then I pushed Eshu’s hand out of my shirt, tugging the hem down as I lowered my legs to the floor.
