Page 51 of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards
Lochlan straightened as Aurelia Shade, the eraser witch of Stella Rune, stormed past, chasing a few fairies who were hiccupping with laughter as they bobbed through the air. They were glamoured from non-magical eyes, but that didn’t mean the chaos they left behind would go unnoticed.
Once the terrifying witch was out of sight, Nia leaned in, her voice low and conspiratorial. “That’s cheating.”
“Would you call it cheating if I won you that one?” he asked, pointing to the largest prize on display: a colossal bear that towered over the rest of the plush animals.
“No,” she admitted, picturing Jade’s excited prancing when they brought it home. Nia smiled. “No, I wouldn’t.”
CHAPTER 18
Nia
“YOUR GUIDE TO SUPERNATURAL COMPATIBILITY.” —THE STELLA RUNE GAZETTE
Nia stepped into the townhouse, exhaustion draped like a blanket over her shoulders. Behind her, Lochlan locked up just before Jade barreled into him. He caught the large dog with ease, and her tail thumped lazily. Summoning what little energy she had left, Nia went up on her toes and pressed a kiss to Jade’s forehead. The dog huffed contentedly, her tail wagging harder.
“Someone’s spoiled,” Nia murmured.
Lochlan smirked, his closeness sending a quiet hum through the air between them. “She’s not the only one.”
Nia’s gaze dropped to the enormous stuffed bear that was almost as big as Jade, cradled in her arms, then rose to meet Lochlan’s. His eyes were warm and entirely too knowing, like he could see every thought flickering through her head.
The moment lingered, faintly charged.
He was catching her off guard again—he’d been doing it all night. And she had been avoiding this man? The one who made sure she ate, who gave her what she needed before she even thought to ask? The one who somehow managed to make carnival games look… hot?
Her face flushed, and she quickly stepped back, shrugging off her leather jacket. It fell carelessly onto the armchair as she made her way to the couch, flopping onto it with a sigh. The oversized bear Lochlan had won cushioned her fall, its soft fur enveloping her as she sank into the plushness.
Behind her, Lochlan’s voice rumbled low as he set Jade down, the door opening and closing softly as he let her out into the yard, and for a moment, Nia let herself relax into the bear’s warmth. She must have drifted off, because the next thing she knew, Jade’s tongue was on her cheek, wet and insistent.
Groaning, Nia opened her eyes to see Lochlan leaning against the doorway, his sleeves rolled up and his gaze steady. The sight sent a flicker of hunger through her—one she was too tired to fight. Maybe she was too tired to fight her feelings, too.
“Would you like to shower first?” he asked.
“Shower?” She cleared her throat, quickly pushing aside the unhelpful thought of him naked under the water. “No, go ahead. I’ll wash the night off after I decompress with Jade.”
Their eyes met for a moment, Nia’s chest tightening with every heartbeat, until Lochlan nodded and turned. Her gaze trailing over the lines of his broad shoulders down to the curve of his ass as he walked down the hall and disappeared up the stairs.
Making a soft and embarrassingly desperate sound, Nia dropped back onto the couch. The dog licked her cheek once more, then flopped down with a yawn.
“What am I going to do about your dad?” she murmured, running her fingers through Jade’s fur.
The dog fixed her with what could only be described as a judgmental stare.
Nia gave Jade a small smile and scratched her head. “Yeah, I don’t know either.”
And what was she going to do about her dad?
Her feelings for Lochlan were becoming harder to ignore, and after tonight, all she wanted was to jump his bones and thank him in ways words couldn’t manage. But these feelings didn’t mean marriage, she told herself, firmly.
She just didn’t believe it the way she had a few days ago.
The sweet scent of apple cider clung to the plush bear, filling her senses as sleep pulled her under. Jade’s warm fur was the only pillow she needed. Then?—
A voice slipped through the haze of sleep, cold, sharp, and far too familiar.
“Why are you sleeping on the couch?”
Pressure crushed against her chest and?—
