Page 57 of Enchanted to Meet You

“What are you doing?” I asked, after I woke to the sound of my coffee grinder churning and came downstairs to find him in black sweats and a low, messy ponytail in my kitchen.

He beamed at me like I was the most beautiful sight in the world in my bedhead, pajamas, and robe. “Making coffee. Want some?”

I pointed toward the windows. “It’s still dark outside.”

“It’s morning. I thought you might want some breakfast.” He wasn’t only making coffee. He was making toast, as well as frying bacon and eggs. The smell had hit me as soon as I staggered down the stairs.

“I know it’stechnicallymorning,” I said. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of breakfast.” I was an even bigger fan of men making breakfast for me in my own kitchen after having defiledmy body half the night, although to be honest this was the first time it had ever happened. “But don’t people normally eat after the sun rises?”

“I just went for a run.” He smiled, poured a cup of coffee, then walked over to hand it to me, slipping the mug into my hand and landing a kiss on my cheek. “I put a Nordic protection spell around the house while I was gone, though, so you were never in danger.”

“Oh, a Nordic protection spell. Thank God, you had me worried.”

His smile widened at my sarcasm. “Hungry?”

“I am,” I admitted, then put down the cup and headed straight for my electric kettle. “It’s just that I normally eat at a more civilized hour.”

He looked puzzled. “What’s a more civilized hour?”

“After the sun is up?”

The smile disappeared, and he went back to looking like his normal doom-foretelling self. It was hard to believe that stern face had been buried between my legs last night, sending me to the heights of ecstasy. “We can’t afford such a late start.”

“Oh, no.” I’d filled the electric kettle and turned it on. “Don’t tell me there’s more wolf hunting on the agenda.”

“No. But there are a lot of other things we need to get done.”

“Like what? We can’t pull Esther out of school and start training her in the art of the Craft, much as she’d doubtlessly enjoy that. I’m pretty sure her parents would object. And Sal’s not exactly a believer, so he isn’t about to write her a pass.”

“Right.” He took jam and butter from my refrigerator and set them out on the pass-through. “But before we even get to that, we need to secure this place.”

“Secure it? Your Nordic protection spell isn’t enough?”

He ignored me. “I have to fix all of your windows so they actually open, and install a security system that works against humans as well as supernatural forces.”

I blinked at him. “Youwantthe windows to open? I thought you were worried about people breaking in.”

“I am, but it’s just as big a problem if you can’t get out. What are you going to do if there’s a flood?”

“Open the door and leave like a normal person.”

“And what if the door is blocked by detritus?”

“Can we not talk about detritus before I’ve had my morning caffeine?” I poured hot water from my electric kettle into a teacup. “It’s really a downer.”

“You don’t drink coffee?”

“Of course I do. But every cottage witch knows you’re supposed to drink a cup of Earl Grey tea first thing in the morning.” When he only looked at me blankly, I explained, “Earl Grey has bergamot in it. Bergamot is a type of orange grown in Bergamo, Italy, that for centuries has been thought to promote prosperity and success. And I think so, too, because ever since I started drinking it, the shop’s done really well.” I poured a generous dollop of milk into my tea, then took a big gulp. “Maybe it will help defeat demonic rifts, too.”

Derrick looked skeptically down at the tea. “I think you’re wrong.”

“About bergamot helping to defeat demonic rifts?”

“No.” He raised his gaze, and I was unnerved all over again by how bright his eyes were. “I think you’ve earned your success through hard work and good choices.”

I could have argued with him about that one—Billy Walker hadnotbeen a good choice. But instead, I slid onto one of the stools at the pass-through and said only, “Thanks. You could beright. I think luck had a lot to do with it, too, though. Which is why I think you should at leasttrythe tea. Aside from its magic properties, bergamot is rich in flavonoids.”

“I’ll stick with coffee, thanks. Here you go.” He slid a plate down in front of me. It was kind of like sitting at the counter of your favorite diner, only the cook had given you a bunch of orgasms the night before.