Page 2 of Pints & Potions

Liz cleared her throat, and Piper suspected it still stung her cousin’s heart that her now-deceased boyfriend had tried to use her for nefarious purposes. “Enough with all the maudlin BS. Let’s get this show on the road. Promise you’ll FaceTime me from a pub while you’re sharing a drink with a local hottie.”

Struggling against a laugh, Piper said, “I’m telling Rafe that he’s not satisfying your urges if you’re thinking about my sex life and hot Irishmen.”

“Believe me, my woman’s urges are completely taken care of—on every level.” Rafe’s sexy, slightly accented drawl came from the doorway and startled both of them.

Again, Liz flushed, and Piper was positive he spoke the truth. She sighed with the smallest hint of envy. Hair so dark it looked black in this light, midnight-colored eyes, and six feet of sinewy body, Rafe was every woman’s walking fantasy. However, he’d only had eyes for Liz from the day they reconnected a handful of years after their Paris meeting.

Feeling a bit warm herself, Piper returned to the bathroom to retrieve the last of her travel necessities. Once her carry-on was packed, she allowed Rafe to take both cases to the car. When he was out of earshot, she turned to Liz.

“You have to be the luckiest woman on the planet. Promise me I get him in your will should anything happen to you.”

“Nope. I have a stipulation that he must mourn me forever. He’s not allowed to find comfort with another woman.”

“Now you’re just being selfish.”

They shared a laugh and headed out to join Rafe for the short ride to the airport.

After they arrived at the terminal, Rafe unloaded the cases from the truck and escorted Piper inside. “Remember, no taking candy from strangers. And any guy you’re interested in has to provide you with a full name, date of birth, and some form of ID so I can scry and check him out. That way, we can avoid an incident like the last one.”

Rafe was referring to Piper’s god-awful taste in men. Her radar was defective and had failed to pick up on the fact her ex-boyfriend—a mortal one at that—was engaged with a baby on the way.

“Got it,” Piper responded with a grin and a hug. “Thanks, Rafe.”

“Be safe and call us when you get settled. Liz and I want to know when you arrive, okay? Although, why you don’t teleport is beyond me.” He grinned when she groaned.

“Not you too!”

Rafe shrugged, glanced around, and lowered his voice to say, “Don’t use the name Thorne. Lie if you have to. It isn’t safe to bandy about that name when you’re on your own, even in this day and age.”

“I’ll be plain old Piper Kelly. I plan to vacation like a normal person. And I promise to let you both know when I arrive.”

Rafe shook his head. “This bizarre need of yours to be ‘normal’ baffles me. We’re magical beings. You should embrace your heritage.”

It was an old argument between her family and her. It seemed Rafe had taken their side. No one would ever understand. In a family full of the most powerful witches on the planet, Piper got lost. Not bothering to answer, she kissed his cheek and hugged Liz.

Two and a half hours later, Piper was boarded and on her way to Ireland for her much-needed dream vacation. Two weeks in the Emerald Isle with nothing to do but enjoy the countryside, eat fish and chips, and listen to Irish folk bands play in local pubs. No corporate headaches, no IT problems popping up from employees who could barely sign into their email accounts. Most importantly, no running into her ex-boyfriend at work or his pregnant wife at their hometown supermarket.

Piper would take the time to lick her wounds and formulate a new plan for a family of her own. Perhaps it was time to rule out a lifelong mate and go with artificial insemination. That way, she would be able to pick a sperm donor based on genetics and brains instead of waiting for Mr. Wrong to come along for what seemed like the millionth time. Goddess willing, by this time next year, she would be a mom. It didn’t get more normal than that, right?

The idea had a soft smile forming on her lips. The thought of holding her own newborn close and rocking him or her to sleep made Piper’s heart ache with longing. All she’d ever wanted was a family to love. At thirty-three, her biological clock wasn’t only ticking; it was setting off alarms on an hourly basis.

But first, she’d take one last vacation before her world would be forever altered by a baby. Afterwards, her life wouldn’t be her own, and she intended to live it up on this holiday while she still could.

Cian O’Malley didn’t miss much. Earlyon he’d trained himself to gauge the energy of the pub’s patrons and work the room. That gift had come in handy at times he needed it the most. From his position on stage, he noted the stranger among the standard Friday-night crowd. He caught sight of the black-haired beauty the moment she stepped into his pub. Her rich-honey eyes were bright with excitement, and he immediately recognized that she wasn’t from around these parts. Mainly because he knew almost everyone who was. He also recognized the magical glow around her. With such a bright, blinding aura, she had to be a witch—a powerful one at that. If he was mistaken, he’d eat his microphone.

As he picked out a lively tune and sang about a love gone wrong in a way only the Irish could, he tracked her with his eyes. Before this night was out, he intended to not only know her name but also steal a kiss from those glossy, beguiling lips of hers.

His sister Bridget served the stranger a Guinness, and he nearly laughed at the face the woman made upon taking her first sip. A pint of plain wasn’t for the faint of heart. But he had to give her credit for trying the dark brew.

The noise of the room abruptly faded away, and her American accent drifted to where he sat. As he transitioned from one song to the next, he watched his new obsession laugh and flirt with some of the other male patrons. Yeah, he’d be settling up with those plonkers later for making time with the woman Cian had mentally claimed for his own.

Soon enough, his set was finished, and he made his way through the swell of customers and friends slapping him on the back. When he was less than five feet from her, the dark-haired siren turned her merry eyes upon him. It was as if lightning struck. His entire body sizzled and Cian found it impossible to catch his breath. His only consolation was her own dumbstruck expression. She felt the connection as well.

Good to know he wasn’t the only fool for love.

That stray thought brought him up short, but he quickly brushed it away. He didn’t do love or anything remotely leading to commitment. Burn me once, and all that shite.

“Well, hello, darlin’. I see you’ve been enjoyin’ yerself in me pub.” He laid the accent on thick because American women turned to mush after hearing his honeyed Irish tongue.

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