Page 26 of The Magic of Discovery
She joined me a moment later with two beers in one hand and a ladle in the other. Once my beer was in hand and each of us in our seats, we served ourselves in comfortable silence.
“This smells so good. It’s been years since I’ve had homemade potato soup. Kai is the chef in our group, but we rarely eat soup.”
“I love soup. This is my gran’s recipe.” She smiled while she talked, the love for her grandma shining through her words.
“What about your parents?” I inquired, hoping it wasn’t a sore subject.
“Not much to say. My mom had me when she was nineteen, and she wasn’t ready to be a mother.” A harsh laugh left her lips at that. “She still isn’t ready to be a mother, for that matter. Thankfully, Gran stepped up and raised me while my mom went back to the city to continue developing her career. She’s never been very talkative about her job, but she’s an independent contractor for some kind of magical conglomerate. Similar to Radical, I think. I only see her a few times a year, but I never really saw her as my mom, so I don’t miss that or anything. Gran filled that role completely.” She lifted her drink to her lips, and I waited to see if she would continue. A look of acceptance flitted across her features, and she sighed.
“Honestly, my mom is really selfish. She’s not kind, rarely has a nice thing to say about anybody. I’m still not convinced we’re related. I have no clue who my dad is since my mom says she got pregnant from a one night stand at a party.” She shrugged, lifting a spoonful of soup to her mouth and blowing on it gently before cautiously taking the bite. “Mmm. It’s cooled down enough, finally.”
Getting the sense that she was done talking about her family, I didn’t push it. Instead, I dug into my own bowl.
“This is really good, little witch. You’ll have to make it for the rest of the guys sometime. Kai will be impressed.”
“Thanks.” After another bite, she prompted, “Is your family close?”
Fuck. I set myself up for that one.I tried to hide the cringe that wanted to take over,but I must have failed because she quickly added, “You don’t have to tell me anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“Let’s save that discussion for another day,” I muttered, shamelessly taking the out.I don’t want to talk about that shit. Not today. Notanyfucking day.Lifting the cool bottle of beer to my lips, I quickly drained half of it.
“So you’re the leader of your group.” I raised my eyebrows at her statement because itwasa statement. I didn’t remember telling her that before. Reading me with ease, she added, “Oh, come on. It’s freaking obvious. You exude BDE.”
“Do I want to know what BDE stands for?”
“Big dick energy, of course.” She grinned, and I threw my head back and laughed.
“Yes, little witch. I’m the leader. You’re very observant, clearly.”
“Did your boss put you in charge, or was that a decision your team made?” she questioned before taking a swig of her beer.
“Our boss made the final call, but the guys were in agreement. I’ve been the team lead since we started this job ten years ago.”
She nodded. “I can see why. You’re pretty level headed, and you seem like you’re the kind to think before you act.”
“That is an accurate assessment.” Unable to tell her much about my real job, a pang of guilt rose in my chest. “I love my career. Top of the line training. Endless resources to further my education and hone my abilities. Room for advancement— the list goes on and on.”
“Sounds like a lot of responsibility, though. You must travel a lot scouting properties for Radical. They’re a massive company. I mean, do you ever get a break?” Placing her elbow on the table, she rested her chin in the palm of her hand.
“Do you? You own a shop. Being a business owner is more than a full-time job.” I hated doing it, but I had to deflect the question back at her. Telling the least amount of lies was always the best tactic, making it easier to keep up with the cover. Not discussing it at all would be even better.
“You got me there.” A chuckle spilled from her lips, drawing my attention to them, and I couldn’t look anywhere else until she continued talking. “After I worked myself into the ground a couple of years ago, Frank and Arlo insisted that they become my part-time helpers in addition to being our handymen here on the property and at The Pig. They’ve been true friends. We’re also now closed on Sundays. Saturday, we’re only open from ten until two, and we rotate those between us, so I do get a nice amount of time to relax over the weekend. I’m there Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from ten to five, and Frank and Arlo open and close on Thursdays and Fridays. Today I just popped by to drop some things off. And then there’s Gran, who I’m very thankful I also have here to do things around the gardens while I’m in town.”
Now that our bowls were empty, she made her way to the fridge, opening the door to look inside. “Another?” She held up a fresh beer in question, and I nodded.First one went down so smooth. I’m going to have to call a Broom for a ride back to the apartment if I continue.
The sound of glasses hit the table, shot glasses, to be exact. And a bottle of tequila.
“Oh, I don’t know if I should get into liquor tonight. I’m already going to need to call a Broom for a lift...”
“You do know where we are, don't you? Emerald fucking Lakes. Broom doesn’t run out here.” Saige was laughing like this was the funniest shit in the world to her, and it was contagious.
“Well, fuck. Maybe I should stop drinking altogether, so I’ll be able to drive back home in a bit.” I pushed the beer away from me.
She batted her long dark eyelashes, giving me puppy dog eyes. “Aww, please? I never get to hang out. Stay and have fun with me? We can play twenty questions!”
I let out a groan as I swiped my hand down my face. She was temptation in its purest form.If I stay here, there is a strong probability that I’m going to fuck her. My dick has been raging since she pressed her curvy body tight against mine on my bike. Her thick thighs squeezing my hips, tits pressing into my back...
Clearing my throat, I began, “If I were to stay...” She let out a squeal, plopped down in her seat, and swiped the tequila bottle, popping the round cork top off before I could finish. In a flash, my hand snapped out, my fingers wrapping around her wrist that was holding the bottle.
