I used to think waking up to the smell of Ruth’s pancakes was the best thing in this world. But now seeing this sexy naked man with the body of a Greek god sleeping next to me in my bed, well, I was at a loss for words.
Perhaps Ruth’s pancakes came in at a close second. Hmmm. Perhaps… not.
Marcus, the chief of Hollow Cove, that glorious, kind man, was in my bed. My bed. I nearly started jumping on it the moment I woke. I was so excited. But that might freak him out. Yeah. Too early to start showing him that side of me. Way too soon.
I was sitting up in my bed, and like a stalker, I was watching him sleep.
Thank the cauldron he wasn’t a snorer. His handsome face was smooth and peaceful, his breathing low and rhythmic. I was so tempted to brush my fingers along his brow or rake them through his luscious black locks, but that would surely wake him up.
I stared out the window at the bright blue morning sky. There wasn’t a cloud in sight. Grinning, I took a deep breath and let it out through my nose. Nothing would take the smile off of my face today, nothing. I’d never felt happier. Complete. And the feeling was dangerously infectious.
Ruth was free. All charges were dropped. Marcus was in my bed.
Hell, I could feel a song coming along.
I knew it would be a glorious day just by the intoxicating scent of Ruth’s famous buttermilk pancakes. She hadn’t made breakfast for months. It was good to have her back.
“Why are you smiling?”
I spun my head around and stared at a wideawake Marcus. “You’re awake?” I said, my heart racing a little more at the sight of those fine gray eyes.
“I am,” said Marcus lazily. “You been up long?”
“No,” I lied. I’d been staring at him sleep for over an hour.
I gazed at his face, his lips, and I wanted to kiss him. But I was very aware of the thing called morning breath. No one wanted that, and it was way too soon in the relationship to go there. I needed some quality time with my friend Colgate.
Relationship. Is that what this was? I would have to talk to him about that later, after I brushed my teeth.
“How did you sleep?”
A wicked grin spread over his face as he folded an arm under his head. “Incredibly well,” he purred, and the way his eyes fixed on me sent a wave of heat all the way to my core. Damn.
“That’s good. We did… umm… celebrate quite a bit last night.” Try three times. It had been the best sex I’d ever had. But there was no reason to let him know that.
But he looked so good, so tempting, so stupidly gorgeous, I had to restrain from jumping him right here and now. Boy, I’m in trouble.
With his other hand, Marcus reached out and took my hand in his. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Like a baby.” I rubbed my thumb over his hand. “Best sleep I’ve had in weeks.” Which was the truth. “I’m just so happy the charges were dropped. Ruth can be herself again. My family is whole again. We can finally go back to living our lives.”
“Is that her cooking downstairs?” he asked as he breathed in. “I’m surprised she’s up so early. They came home around four this morning.”
“You heard them?” I asked, surprised that I hadn’t. But I had been exhausted. I couldn’t keep my eyes open after our third celebration.
Marcus met my eyes. “I did. You were sleeping. You’re beautiful when you sleep.”
I cocked a brow. “Were you watching me sleep, Chief? That is all kinds of pervy.” I was such a hypocrite.
“I couldn’t resist,” he said around his laugh. “Guess that makes me a perve.” His eyes flicked to my lips and my breath caught.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time,” I blurted, trying to control my raging hormones. I wasn’t a sex-craved lunatic. Or maybe I was?
Marcus looked surprised. “Really? What?”
“What the hell is in that blue vial that Ruth prepares for you?”
Marcus let out a really loud laugh. If Iris and my other aunts weren’t already up, this would have definitely woken them.
“That’s what you wanted to know?” he asked, clearly stunned. “Not how many women I’ve been with or if I have any kids out in the world?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Just that. Whoa—wait. How many women have you been with? Should I be concerned?” I teased, realizing I didn’t harbor any jealous or insecure feelings. That’s what lady balls do.
Marcus’s eyes glinted with amusement. “It’s for my allergies. I’ve got bad seasonal allergies and Ruth’s tonic is the only thing that helps.”
“That’s it?” I said, a little disappointed. “You’ve got allergies? It’s not some super-duper beast suppressor? Some superpower enhancement? An invisibility potion?”
The chief shook his head, his smile crinkling his eyes. “Sorry to disappoint you. It’s for my allergies,” he repeated, laughing harder, which of course made me laugh with him.
I cleared my throat and tried to look serious. “While I have you talking… I have something else to ask.”
Marcus wrapped both arms behind his head. “Shoot.”
I peeled my eyes from his washboard abs and looked at his face. “But you need to promise you won’t get mad. Promise?”
“I promise,” he laughed. “Go on. What else do you want to know? I have no secrets. I’m an open book.”
My eyes grazed along his golden chest, my fingers itching to rub all over him. “Okay, so, when I broke into your office—”
Marcus jerked up. “You broke into my office.”
Oh, crap. “You said you weren’t going to get mad,” I reminded him, my pulse thumping faster as heat rushed to my face.
The chief’s face twisted into a smile. “I know you broke in. And I know you were with Ronin when you did.” He settled back down on the pillow. “Go on. Ask your question.”
My mouth fell open. “As I was saying… I saw something on one of your reports.”
“Like what?”
“You crossed out my father’s name, Sean Sanderson, and put a question mark. Why’s that? Do you know something I don’t?”
Okay, some clarification is needed. Yes, my father’s surname was Sanderson. But, with witches, it wasn’t uncommon to carry their mother’s surname. Especially if your family name was an ancient one and powerful. Davenport happened to be one of those last names.
Marcus stared at the ceiling for a while before answering. “It’s something your mother had said once, when she was here. She was helping us on a case. I can’t remember why we were talking about you, but we were.”
He went quiet, and I knew he was thinking of his best friend. He’d been working a case with my mommy dearest. They’d been partnered up. But she’d abandoned him to go to my father and left him alone and exposed. He was killed by a demon that night.
I swallowed hard. “What did she say?” My relationship with my mother was a complicated one, to say the least, one I didn’t really want to bring up.
Marcus’s eyes narrowed as he thought about it. “She said… she said, ‘Her father’s not her father.’”
“What the hell does that mean?” Emotions spiraled through me and not in a good way.
The chief looked at me. “It could mean a lot of things.” He searched my face. “Why don’t you ask her? She’s your mother.”
Right. It was too early to have this conversation. I’d rather jump in a steaming hot tub filled with cow manure than speak to her right now.
Though if my father wasn’t my biological father, it explained a lot.
“You know what?” I said, plastering on a smile that I didn’t feel. “I’m starving. And you must be starving too after all that… you know… stuff you did to me.”
Marcus flashed his teeth. “I’m ready for round four if you want.”
I laughed, my body tingling with heat. “Don’t tempt me.” I stared at him for a moment and then swung my legs off the bed. I grabbed my bathrobe that still smelled like Marcus and tightened it around me.
My phone beeped with a message, and I grabbed it from my nightstand. “It’s a message from Willis.”
“Who’s Willis?”
“One of the witches from the witch trials—oh, my god! He made it. He passed. He’s a Merlin.” Little mousy Willis had done it. He’d solved whatever case Greta had given him and had passed the third trial. Lucky number thirteen.
“I’m happy for him,” said Marcus.
A well of emotions bubbled up. “Me too. You have no idea how much he deserved it.” Guess Willis and Wilma had done some celebrating of their own last night.
Feeling like I owned the world, I put my phone back on the nightstand. I looked at Marcus and said, “I’ll be back with some breakfast and coffee.” I closed my bedroom door behind me and rushed down the stairs.
I hit the bottom and turned to the kitchen. Making my way, I could see Ruth at the stove, smiling as she whisked another batch of her pancakes. Dolores and Beverly were seated at the kitchen table laughing. They were laughing, not crying.
The goddess was good to us.
Dolores and Beverly looked up as I approached. I moved into the kitchen and made a beeline for Ruth. I squeezed my little aunt into my arms, taking in her smell of soap and lavender.
Ruth let out a tiny shriek. “You’re going to get some batter on you, silly,” she laughed as I let her go and stepped back.
“I don’t care.” I sighed. Relief washed over me as I saw her pretty pink cheeks. Her color had returned. I had my Ruth back, and all was right in the world again.
“We tried to keep it down,” said Dolores as she set her coffee mug down. “Did we wake you?”
“Oh, no. I’ve been up for hours.”
“Doing all kinds of naughty things for hours. Weren’t you?” taunted Beverly, her face fresh and her makeup flawless as usual.
Oh, dear. “Uh… I was hoping to get some breakfast to take up to my room,” I said, feeling a flush attack my face. I didn’t know why I should be embarrassed. I was a grown-ass woman. Having a man like Marcus waiting for me in my bed should have had me doing backflips.
Dolores eyed me over her coffee mug. “What kind of things? The trials are over, Tessa. Greta told us all about it. We’re all very proud of you.” Her face stretched into a smile. “I always knew you could do it.”
“Thanks.”
“She’s got a man in her bed. That’s what,” informed Beverly before I had a chance to explain.
The kitchen went silent.
Ruth twisted around, sending clumps of pancake batter all over the kitchen island and floor. Her wide eyes matched her smile. “You’ve got a man in your bed!” she said happily, like I’d just won the lottery, like the chance of me having a man in my bed was slim. I wasn’t sure how to take that.
“Uh… right… umm… yeah, about that.” I took a breath. “You see…”
The doorbell rang.
“I got it.” I spun around so fast I nearly smashed into the wall.
My bare feet slapped against the wood floors as I hurried down the hallway, wondering who it could be this early in the morning. Iris had a set of keys so it couldn’t be her.
Maybe it was Gilbert. He’d finally found out we had his exotic herbs inventory notebook and wanted it back.
Holding back a laugh, I grabbed the doorknob and pulled open the front door.
My smile vanished.
A pretty fifty-year-old woman with dark hair and matching eyes stood in the doorway.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” she said, sounding annoyed. “Come and give your mother a hug.”
Cauldron be damned.
My mother was here.