Page 40 of This Witch Is Not Wicked

I tipped my head toward a couple in the corner, currently making out in their cozy booth. If they could show affection, then so could we.

Besides, we needed to start ramping up our efforts, and cuddling with me would be a far more effective way to get people to stop staring at Enid everywhere she went. “Are you okay with that? We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable doing.”

She held my gaze, then stood. My breath momentarily left my body as I took in her figure. In the short walk to my chair, she sashayed her curvy hips, then she pushed my chair back from the table and sat in my lap. My hands gripped her waist, fingers digging into the velvety fabric of her dress.

Holy fuck. I had not thought this through. My cock twitched as she wriggled her ass against my legs and stroked my cheek with her long black nails.

She leaned down, lips close enough to graze my ear, and whispered, “How’s this for convincing?”

“Good.” Too fucking good. “I think this’ll do it.”

Goddamn, why was this turning me on? It was all fake. I had to remind myself of that. I’d literally picked Enid because she had no real interest in me. But my cock didn’t know that. All it knew was that I had a beautiful, brilliant woman in my lap, caressing my face in front of the entire tavern.

And I liked it. I wanted them to know she was mine, and they could fuck off if they weren’t okay with it.

My empty mug sat in front of us. Maybe that was why I was suddenly feeling so possessive. It was the alcohol.

Enid’s was empty as well. I hadn’t even realized I’d finished mine already. Yes, that had to be why I was reacting to Enid this way. Definitely the alcohol and nothing else.

Her lips dragged from my ear down my jaw, and I sucked in a sharp breath. The whole tavern faded away until it was just the two of us. Just Enid’s hot breath and her rosy scent and her warm lips. Then I was imagining what it would be like to feel those lips all over my body.

“What are they doing?” Enid whispered in my ear, reeling me back to reality.

Right. We were in a tavern, and Enid was pretending to be all over me. That was the whole point of this. It had been my idea because I was an idiot, severely underestimating what her sitting in my lap would do to my body.

“Nevan?” she asked. “Can you see them?”

I cleared my throat and peeked over her mane of black hair, None of the men were staring any longer. Some of them pointedly looked in the other direction.

“It worked,” I said, and Enid drew back with a grin that transformed her entire face.

“Should I eat my meal in your lap after it arrives? Feed you, maybe?”

Godwitches be, there was an image. I shifted uncomfortably. “Uh, no. I think that’s enough for tonight. We don’t want to scandalize everyone.”

A look flashed in Enid’s eyes, gone before I could decipher it, and then her delicious weight lifted from my lap, and she was back in her chair.

“All right, two orders of roasted chicken and dumplings.” Myrna appeared in front of us and set the plates down. “Think you two can keep your hands off each other long enough to eat?” She raised a brow, but it wasn’t disgust or anger in her gaze—it was amusement. We might have been shifting the public opinion already.

Enid’s gaze met mine, her lips twitching, and we both burst out laughing.

CHAPTER 17

Nevan

“Will you get your head out of your ass already?” Wolfe growled as he jabbed me with his wooden sword for the fifth time that day.

Cillian sat in front of us, legs sprawled as he watched with amusement.

“Sorry.” I pushed my spectacles up my nose and braced my legs, holding out my training sword.

I hadn’t been remotely interested in training today, but Wolfe had showed up at the door to my lab and hauled me out. He refused to let me miss a session, even though I’d told him I didn’t feel well. In the end, I gave in like I always did. Wolfe cared about us, and he only wanted Cillian and me to train so that we’d be prepared in case of an attack. He was doing what he thought was best for us, and I couldn’t fault him for that.

Wolfe jabbed me again, this time right between my ribs.

“Fuck,” I said.

“You’re not focusing!” Wolfe growled.