Page 29 of Cursed Sight
And then… there was Ethan Broderick.
As if realizing she’d met her soul mate was not enough, now she was experiencing all the emotions. She missed him when he was not around. She wanted to touch him more often. His thoughts, beliefs, and emotionsmatteredto her.
After they had gone through her list of rivals, they ordered her tea. Ethan made sure to add a few he thought he would like as well. Goddess knew he was spending more time with her at her place.
The thought alone brought a smile to her face, and butterflies took flight in her midsection. She was like a teenager in the throes of her first love.No,she reminded herself,He’s your soul mate.
Serena had given up on finding her other half. Maybe part of her had continued the search, with each man she shared herself with. She scoffed. “Liking sex doesn’t mean all of them were part of some subconscious search for Mr. Right.”
At the mere thought of sex, her mind returned to Ethan. If Brandy and Ryan had not interrupted their hot-as-fuck kiss in the basement of the shop, she was sure they would know exactly how compatible they were.
Her body warmed, and her thighs tingled. Images of Ethan over and under her bombarded her mind. His firm hand grabbing her by the neck, pulling her mouth to his… Their tongues dueling, rubbing, tasting…
“Are you okay?” a customer asked, sending Serena’s fantasy up in a puff of imaginary smoke.
Serena cleared her throat and forced her hands to still. The need to feel how warm her cheeks were warred with the need to maintain a calm front.
She raised a brow. “Yeah, I am. Can I help you find something?” Serena mentally patted her back at her steady thread of words.
“Are you sure? Your face is a little flushed, and I thought I heard you moan in pain.”
Her breath hitched. “Oh, I bumped my knee against the counter, but I’ll be okay,” she said, the lie slipping effortlessly.
The woman accepted her words with a nod and moved on to the display of incense. Serena’s lips pursed with annoyance for a moment before spotting the notification light on her phone.
Brandy: Would you like to go with me and Andrea to taste cakes?
Serena read the text again in surprise. She really had not expected to do more than help with the rehearsal and show up to perform the ceremony. Her mind raced with varying reasons for the invite before settling on a simple conclusion.
Brandy was being nice.
Serena: I do love cake. When and where?
By the time Serena and her customer finished discussing the details, the woman decided on the incense bundle Serena had created for the coming full moon.
***
A few days later, Serena double checked the address of the cake shop before deciding she would walk. Her shop was not too far from the center of the city, and she craved fresh air.
Adjusting her jacket, she was thankful the buildings blocked most of the cold wind. She missed the evening strolls she used to take. With the increase of activity in their magical world, business was booming and keeping her busy.
As it was, she had already seen three tubars scurry off during the ten blocks to the cake shop, and she’d passed two werewolves who she did not think belonged to Peter’s pack. In the days before the shift in activity, she would have seen maybe one creature and witch while she walked that distance.
Serena slowed as she arrived at the three-story brick building. A black awning, withAmanda Jo’s Delectable Treatsscrawled across it in a vibrant hot pink, protected the sidewalk. Two large windows framed a door in the center. Beautiful models of cakes and treats decorated one window, while the other focused on the display case across from it. Serena pulled open the door and smiled at the two woman who turned at the sound of her arrival.
“Serena! I’m so glad you made it,” Brandy told her with a genuine smile. “You remember Andrea, James’s wife?”
Andrea gave her a warm smile. “Hi, Serena.”
“Hi. Thanks for inviting me. I’ve never done this,” Serena said as a tall redhead pushed through the stainless-steel traffic door she’d only seen in restaurants. Dried frosting was smeared across her cheek, and Serena doubted the woman realized it was there.
“Thanks for waiting. A last-minute change for a bat mitzvah came in and—well, you don’t really care, now do you?” She shook her head as a thick chuckle slipped free.
“We all just got here. Thank you so much for taking this on, Amanda Jo!” Brandy said and turned toward Andrea and Serena. “I’ve known Amanda Jo since we were freshman. She’s been baking since even before then.”
“How did I not know that?” Andrea asked and Brandy shrugged.
“I’m honored you asked me to make your wedding cake. Let me go grab the samples I prepared so we can narrow down a flavor,” Amanda told her before rushing to the back.
