Page 17 of Handcuffs and Hexes

“But it’s not professional.”

Goddammit! That sounded so stupid. We’d already shot right past unprofessional.

“I’m not working right now, are you?” He guided me to the couch and pulled me down to sit in his lap.

“No. But...”

“And we are both consenting adults?”

“Yes. But...”

“So tell me, Officer Cooley, are we breaking any laws?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t call me that right now.”

Seth sent me a devilish grin. “Well, if it’s against the law to imagine you sandwiched between Liam and me, then you better lock me up now and throw away the key.”

And just like that, every word in my vocabulary fled for higher ground as my brain was flooded with images of the two of them doing the most terrible and wonderful things to me.

Fuck. I was screwed.

“We’ll be as discreet as you need us to be, Gorgeous. Everyone thinks I’m full of it anyway. I can flirt with you all day long, and they’ll be like, ‘Oh, that’s just how he is.’ They’ll never suspect a thing.”

Was that why he acted the way he did? So people would underestimate him? I guess if people knew just how much magic he had, and I had a feeling it was a lot, they’d be wary of him. The way it was now, they just rolled their eyes and thought he was annoying.

I found myself cradled in Seth’s arms. I was so tired already, even though I hadn’t even had breakfast yet, that I didn’t have anything left in me to fight. That was until I realized I was still completely naked.

I struggled to get out of his arms. “You don’t need to do this.”

“Do what?” Seth asked, releasing me enough so I could sit up in his lap but not leave.

“This!” I gestured to us. “This isn’t me. I’m no damsel in distress! I don’t need you to comfort me. I shouldn’t need you to make a stupid coffee. I’m not weak.”

And I most certainly shouldn’t be enjoying it like I was. And Ididenjoy it; that was the scariest part of all.

“No one in their right mind thinks of you as a damsel in distress, Hazel Sarah Cooley. We all know you’re tough. You have to be, rushing into every situation thrown at you the way you do. But that doesn’t mean you can’t lean on someone else sometimes. It doesn’t mean you’re weak.” He leaned forward and lowered his head, resting his forehead against mine like he was the one who needed support. “You don’t have to be tough all the time to be strong. Sometimes, it’s stronger to learn to lean on someone else.”

Was he speaking from experience? I couldn’t imagine him needing help or leaning on anyone.

“As if you’ve ever been weak a day in your life, Mr. Big Shot Wizard. Weren’t you WEC once? Don’t they only accept the world’s very best?”

I didn’t know the full details, but it was generally known to those of us on the force who had to work with him that Seth quit the WEC due to irreconcilable differences. Some believe it was because he was head-hunted by the Dragon of Darlington. That was how powerful he was. So, while Tommy sometimes gave Seth a hard time, he’d never dare cross him the wrong way.

Seth tucked me back into his arms. “Did you know I was so desperate once that I went up to a dragon I’d never met before and begged for help? That’s how Desmon and I met.”

“You? Begging? I’m not sure I can imagine what that looks like.”

“I’m sure you’ll see it soon. Liam has me begging all the time.” He winked.

My jaw dropped as filthy, filthy thoughts rushed to my head.

Seth just chuckled. “But for now, let me tell you how I met Desmon while I make you some breakfast. That coffee isn’t enough.”

The coffee in question floated into view and landed on the coffee table in front of me. I reached for it and found it still warm. I expected Seth to release me so he could go to the kitchen, but he didn’t. Instead, I suddenly heard the fridge opening. I gasped and peered over but found no one. It had opened by itself, and the eggs were taking themselves out of the carton.

He was making breakfast with magic!

“You thought you could get away from cuddles that easily, did you, Hazy Daisy?”

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