Page 1 of Pints & Potions

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“You need to hurry up, Piper. You’re going to miss your flight. Although—”

“Don’t say it,” she snapped. She was currently lying, belly down, across the top of her overstuffed suitcase in order to make the edges meet. “I think I’m going to be over the weight limit.”

“Take everything out but the sexy underwear,” advised her cousin and best friend, Liz Thorne-Xuereb. “Or let me cast a spell to lighten the case.”

“I don’t have any sexy underwear.” Piper willfully ignored the spell comment. She’d be damned if she would use magic for anything she didn’t classify as an emergency. To do otherwise would be an abuse of power as far as she was concerned. Of course, her attitude wasn’t popular among her family, who used magic with the speed of a ravenous chocoholic consuming bonbons.

Damn, she could really go for lemon-buttercream chocolates to temper her traveling anxiety right about now.

“At all?”Liz screeched, pulling Piper back into the conversation. Her cousin was clearly appalled that a single woman wouldn’t have the basics.

Heat crept up Piper’s neck. “Well, Ido, but not packed. It’sIreland, Liz. People dress in layers over there.”

“Sure, but eventually they have to strip down—if you know what I mean. And thermal long johns aren’t a turn-on. What happens when you meet a hot Irishman and take him back to your hotel?”

“It’s a B&B, and I won’t be bringing any men back to my room. In case you failed to remember, I’m on a dating hiatus for a while. It’s calledvacationfor a reason.”

“Need I remind you that I found Rafe while on vacation?”

“Rafe found you, and he was in Paris onbusiness.”

Liz shrugged as she rummaged through Piper’s dresser, no doubt looking for sexy articles of clothing. “You say tomato, I say tomahto.”

“I’m pretty sure you stole that line from him. Regardless, I’ve sworn off men.”

“Irish women are hot, too. Really, anyone with an Irish accent would do.”

“Youknowwhat I mean. And while I’m open to just about anything, it’s doubtful I’ll switch sides this late in the game. Seriously, I just need a break from dating.” Piper snatched the underwear out of Liz’s hands as she tried to add it to the suitcase. “Stop, or you really will make me late.”

“Let’s compromise. Take four matching sets.”

“One.”

“Three.”

“Two and no thongs. I hate those things. They’re little more than ass floss.”

“Deal.” Liz grinned triumphantly. “But if things get hot and heavy, I want a sex tape.”

“Okay,eww,because you’re my damned cousin. You’re getting as bad as Mackenzie. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me you’re into bondage.” When Liz flushed the color of a ripe beet, Piper laughed. “I didn’t know you had it in you!”

“It was only handcuffs,” Liz retorted.

Piper arched her freshly waxed brows.

“All right, a blindfold, too. But that’s all.”

“Who was sporting the cuffs and blindfold? You or Rafe?”

“Rafe.”

Tickled by the new carefree side of her cousin, Piper hugged Liz. “I’m so glad you found him. You deserved so much better than Franco.”

“I still can’t believe he stole my magic. Whodoesthat?”

“Well, thankfully Rafe discovered his plan in time.” She rounded up the last of her toiletries.

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