Page 7 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

“Thirty-five,” he mumbled, pulling himself up to a standing position.

I didn’t know if I was more annoyed or angry with my pathetic employee. “You’re thirty-five years old and your grandma still makes you breakfast?”

“I have a job.” Lenny pouted, groaning as he struggled to lift his chair. “I don’t have time.”

Great Goddess! Was this man for real? “You work part-time, and you’ve already taken five sick days this month.”

Once again, I wondered why in Hades’s name I hadn’t fired this worthless employee. Maybe because on the days Lenny did show up, he locked himself in his office and didn’t ask any questions. Like, “what’s behind the secret door?” and “why does one person need ten bags of Chinese takeout?”

“Lenny,” I groaned while lowering onto the side of the desk. “You and I need to have a man-to-man.”

Lenny sat back down in his chair and blinked up at me. “Are you going out with that bakery chick or what?”

“Excuse me?” What did Luciella have to do with this?

“The girl with the tits.” Lenny palmed the air like he had two huge, invisible air bags attached to his chest. “Are you dating her? I was thinking of asking her out.”

The beast inside me roared, clawing and snapping at my soul, demanding to be set free so he could maul this little maggot to shreds.

Again, I had to slowly count to ten before I gave in to my urge to bite off Lenny’s head. “First off”—I held up a shaky finger, white-hot rage clouding my vision—“be more respectful when you talk about her. Second, she’s way out of your league.”

“She gives me such a massive boner.” Lenny smoothed a hand across the front of his jeans. At first, I thought the guy was packing a pencil, but no. Awww, holy troll turds!

Lenny stood, rutting the air like a rabid bull in heat. “I just want to bend her over the bakery counter and—”

I kicked him so hard in the twig and berries, Lenny crumpled to the floor like a discarded puppet. Pulling his knees to his chest, Lenny rocked and cried like a baby.

Crud. I hadn’t meant to kick the prick so hard. Then again, it beat the alternative, letting my beast handle Lenny. Wincing at a sharp pain in my extremities, I scowled at my bloody palms. My damn claws had broken free. I unclenched my fists and retracted my claws with a hiss. I whispered a healing spell before stepping over Lenny’s supine body.

I could feel the beast’s eyes shining through my own as I wedged a boot under Lenny’s chin, glaring down at him.

“You will stay the hell away from her, understand?”

With a terrified squeak, Lenny clamped a hand over his mouth and nodded.

“Good.” I turned and marched out of the room. Then I went into my office and snatched the empty pastry carton from the waste basket. With my superior sense of smell, I scented the ingredients in the icing and cinnamon stuck to the side of the box: sweetener, citrus, cinnamon, butter, and something else...siren shade.

Damn that witch!

I’d thought she was different, but she was just like all the other witches who’d ever tried to screw me. I threw the box back into the trash and snatched my truck keys out of the drawer. If she thought she could fool me, she was sorely mistaken. Never again would I let my heart be blinded by a witch’s pretty smile and magical mischief.

Chapter Two

Luci

“Well, what did I tell you?” Ethyl nodded to the big black truck pulling into the drive. “Latin Latte is here to ask you out.”

When he jumped out of the truck, slamming the door behind him, my heart hit my stomach.

“Oh Goddess, Ethyl, what did you do?” I clutched the bakery counter, my knees turning to jelly at the look of pure rage simmering beneath his gaze while he stalked toward the door like a lion about to pounce on his prey. I quickly glanced at Des, who was too engrossed in his game to notice there was about to be trouble. Then I turned back to Ric. I’d no idea his cheeks could turn so red.

“He doesn’t look too happy, Ethyl. I think he’s here to tell me off.”Merlin’s mudflaps! Ethyl screwed up the love potion. “You sure you used siren shade and not dragon shade?” I asked out of the corner of my mouth while Ric jerked open the front door.

Ethyl blanched. “There’s a dragon shade herb?” Her hands flew to the pentagram charm hanging around her neck. “Oh, troll dung!” With a snap, she transformed into her miniature pixie self and fluttered into the rafters, leaving me alone to face down my pissed-off and soon-to-be former customer.

I repressed a curse when Ric stormed up to the counter, chest heaving and nostrils flaring. My heart did a backflip when he looked down at me with luminous dark eyes swirling with flecks of gold. How oddly beautiful and enthralling his eyes were. If I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve mistaken him for a shape-shifter, for they usually had multicolored eyes that sparkled like jewels. For a moment, I forgot he’d come into my shop looking ten degrees of pissed off.

He let out a long breath. “I came to give you a warning.”

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