Page 65 of The Mermaid's Bubble Lounge
I expected to find Fergus and Vlad where I left them, but the apartment was empty. I missed my pup, but at least I had a big fat meringue, filled with chocolate. As I munched, I walked home through the folly.
I whistled for Fergus, but he didn’t come. Maybe he was visiting Cadmael on the island. I wasn’t in any rush. If anything, I’d just cleared my schedule for the foreseeable future, so I enjoyed my stroll through the folly. What the dragons had created for us was pure magic.
As I wandered through the Shire, I considered sleeping in our hobbit hole tonight, a staycation of sorts. Of course, Clive had his vampy convention to deal with, so I guess sleepaway camp would need to wait. We really needed to throw a party in the folly for our friends as soon as the dragon builders were done.
When the path meandered into Middle Ages Canterbury and I passed Clive’s family farm, I couldn’t help but remember how he looked plowing shirtless in the sun. They may have originally been Leticia’s memories, but they were all mine now.
At the entrance to the island, I whistled again, but Fergus did not come running. Where was he? I almost turned around and went back to The Slaughtered Lamb in case he’d fallen asleep in the bookstore and I hadn’t noticed when I was closing. Residual fear from the pooka and not seeing Fergus in hours had me jogging the rest of the way home.
I zigzagged through the cars and hit the elevator, which wasn’t waiting on this level. That gave me hope that for some reason Vlad had taken Fergus home. When the elevator opened into the den, I found Vlad sitting in his corner, lamp on and book open. The back door was open as well.
“Shouldn’t you be working?” he asked, looking annoyed at the interruption.
“What the heck are you doing here and how did you open the door and not die?” Seriously, what the hell did he get up to during the day while I was busy?
At the sound of my voice, Fergus raced in and launched himself at me. We both fell back onto the couch, as he did his best to lick my face and I tried to save myself.
“Fergus. Door,” Vlad said.
Fergus hopped up, ran to the back door, and nudged it closed before returning to the couch.
“He needed to go out,” Vlad stated simply, as though that was obvious. “He enjoys lounging in the garden. There’s a squirrel that’s been driving him to distraction. And Fergus opened the door himself. He’s quite clever.”
I hugged my horse of a dog and then scratched his belly. “Is that true? Are you an extra special clever boy? Yes, you are.” He kicked his giant feet in the air—almost punching me—as I rubbed his tummy.
“The question remains,” Vlad said. “Why are you home during the day?”
“Oh, that.” I explained our pooka encounter to him and my decision to close it down until the pooka was dealt with.
He’d leaned forward as I spoke but finally relaxed when I said I’d sent everyone home and that our two vulnerable people had been escorted out by warriors.
“So,” I said, standing up, “as we’ve got hours before we have to go to your vampy tea party tonight, I’m going to join my husband and take a nap.”
“You should eat first.” His gaze dropped to the plate of cookies on the coffee table. “And something more substantial than sweets.”
I almost argued but bit it back. “I could eat.”
Fergus joined me in the kitchen, hoping for snacks, so I gave him a bully stick. He went back to the den to enjoy it while I made myself a sandwich. I ate it at the counter and then put my plate in the dishwasher.
“I’m going up now,” I called, heading for the stairs.
“You should learn to chew more quietly,” was his response, which made me laugh.
I closed the bedroom door, stripped to my undies, and then slipped back into bed with Clive. When I rested my head on his chest, his arms wrapped tightly around me. Releasing a sigh of contentment, I let the exhaustion pull me under.
I woke to kisses up my throat and along my jaw.
“Such a lovely surprise to find you in bed with me,” Clive rumbled, his voice deep with sleep.
My fingers plunged into his thick hair, and I pulled his mouth to mine. When I finally came up for air, I confessed, “I was walking through the folly earlier and thinking about young, hot, human Clive plowing the field, sweaty, straining muscles on display…”
Clive grinned. “Were you now?”
I nodded, my hands creeping down his body. Suddenly, my panties were gone. He nibbled under my ear, driving me crazy. Holding himself over me on one elbow, he dragged his other hand down my side and then slipped it between my legs. When he found me ready and my hips lifting toward him, his eyes went vamp black.
He kissed me again, hooking his arm under my leg, opening me to him, and then he was sliding in. He held himself still as we shared one breathless moment, and then the chain broke. Fanning the flames, he created an inferno that burned us both. Toes curling, I wrapped around him, meeting him thrust for thrust, thinking I would burst, that I couldn’t possibly hold him tighter or love him more.
Groaning, I fell off the edge—or I suppose was pushed—but Clive was right behind me, his fangs deep in my neck.
