Page 89 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

I swallowed, unable to say more as I was transfixed by his strong musky scent, and all I could think of was that delicious purr while he lapped up my juices. I wanted Ric so badly, I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to keep my hands off him. It would be wrong to sleep with him when my family was staying with him, too, right?

Maybe I could sneak into Ric’s room after they fell asleep. After the hell I’d been through, I deserved a release, and since the gnomes stole my vibrator, I had no choice but to sleep with Ric. That’s what I kept telling myself, anyway.

RIC AND I IMMEDIATELYworked on strengthening the wards while Ethyl warmed up six pizzas in his big ovens. By the time we returned from outside, she had set salad and pastries from my bakery on the table. I hadn’t realized how hungry I’d been, but I’d scarcely eaten in Rome. My stomach had been too twisted with worry to focus on food. But now I wondered if I was part sphinx, because I ate several slices of pizza plus a strawberry cupcake. I was feeling a little bloated afterward, nothing that a simple stomach potion mixed in a tall glass of wine couldn’t fix.

We saved two pizzas for Ric, though he refused to eat in front of us, choosing instead to take a shower. Then he helped Des and Shu set up the big screen in the movie room.

It felt so wonderful to take a long, soothing shower in Ric’s bathroom, letting those jets work their magic, easing the tension in my sore shoulders while washing away the grime from our harrowing adventure. Ric had been kind enough to give me privacy, saying he needed to go into his basement and eat. No doubt some poor stag carcass or a thousand pounds of ham was on the menu. I wondered if I’d be on the menu tonight, too. Was that what I wanted? To make love to a guy who wasn’t even my boyfriend yet with my son and friends in nearby rooms?

After stepping out of the shower, I slipped into a borrowed robe. Tomorrow, we would go to my condo and get the rest of our things, though I wasn’t sure for how long we’d be staying at Ric’s place. I hoped not forever. As much as I loved his beautiful home and the luxuries that came with it, I wasn’t ready to be tied down to anyone yet. To be honest, my heart was still weary after my divorce, and I didn’t know Ric well enough to make that sort of commitment.

But he was the only living sphinx, and my son was the phoenix. He was supposed to be Des’s protector, which was exciting and unnerving all at once. What if Ric and I didn’t work out? Having to endure awkward encounters with one ex was badenough. I couldn’t imagine being stuck with an ex-boyfriend the rest of my life. It wasn’t like I could give him the “It’s not you, it’s me” speech and then screen my calls when I needed him to help me protect my son from demons.

What if he started sniffing his crevices and farting on me in bed? What if he slept around with his secretary? What if he became a self-centered, farty-breath prick?

But, no. I was getting ahead of myself and worrying for nothing. Ric had so far proven to be far more amazing than Colin. He’d wanted me to flee the Tribunal, even though I had testimony that could’ve saved his life. He’d risked his life to come back to the Tribunal and kill the succubus who was trying to capture me. He’d taken my family and me into his home without complaint. And, oh yeah, he knew how to pleasure me without breaking out a user’s manual and a GPS. In twenty years, Colin had never accomplished what Ric had managed in one night. I had a feeling it wasn’t just because Ric had better intuition when it came to a woman’s needs. Ric wasn’t a selfish ass looking only to satisfy himself.

After brushing out my hair, I released a slow breath while looking at my reflection in the mirror. I had heavy circles from exhaustion under my eyes and no makeup to cover it. Vain as I was, I couldn’t face Ric like this, so I used a little magic to touch up my eyes and add color to my lips and cheeks. Like I said, I was vain, and perhaps I wanted to look pretty for Ric, though I wasn’t ready to address why I cared so much.

I got lost going down one of the mansion’s many hallways. I wandered down one hallway and then another while hoping I didn’t disturb Ethyl and Frederica, who had helped themselves to a bottle of wine from the cellar and disappeared into one of the guest rooms immediately after dinner. Finally, one of the ghosts led the way toward the theater with a floating napkin.

I peeked inside to see Des reclining in a seat, Puffy curled up in his lap, an empty popcorn bucket between them and Shu. Our fairy godfather was dressed in what I could only describe as a moo moo, a long floral print robe that made him look like he’d raided his grandmother’s closet. He wore spongy curlers in his hair, a green face mask, and big, fuzzy slippers.

And who should be sitting on the other side of Shu but Ric, looking freshly washed and absolutely delectable in a pair of fleece sweatpants and a fitted shirt.

Of course, they were watchingThe Golden Girls.

Des had a confused look while squinting at the screen, but Shu had such a look of pure excitement on his face, that I knew he’d found the newer seasons.

“Everything okay here?” I asked as I came into the room.

“Yeah, Mama. We’re fine.” Des didn’t bother looking in my direction as he took a long swig from what looked like an old-fashioned root beer bottle.

Ugh. Soda before bed! I supposed I could make an exception after everything my son had been through these past few days.

“Look at all these episodes ofThe Golden Girls.” Shu motioned toward the screen. “I don’t need to wait to watch them. Des said it’s called streaming.” He clasped his hands to his heart. “I’m in Seventh Heaven!”

I sat beside my son, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes, pleased when he didn’t pull away. “It’s getting late, darling. You need to get to bed.”

He looked at me, a spark of clarity in his eyes. “Can Puffy sleep with me?”

I smiled down at the little dragon who’d risked his life to save Frederica. “Of course.”

“If you don’t mind,” Shu said. “I’d like to sleep here.”

Ric slowly stood, stretching all those gorgeous, tanned muscles toward the ceiling. “There are televisions in all the guest rooms.”

“Yes, but not with screens this big,” Shu said excitedly. “I can practically kiss Blanche.”

Ric crooked a smile. “If you need anything, just ask. My hosts will assist you.”

Shu arched a brow. “You mean ghosts?”

Ric laughed before stealing a glance in my direction. “They prefer to be called hosts.”

Shu waved his hand with all the dramatic flourish of a teenage girl. “Whatever.”

“Did you see my room, Mama?” Des tugged on my arm. “It’s so big.”

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