Page 22 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

“Connor,” I said, feeling that word to my core.

He cleared his throat then whipped his head in Luc’s direction. “Can I clock out early?” Connor’s sweet turned to heat behind his every word. Sexy heat. Dripping with it.

“Sorry, man. I’m all for young love, but I can’t bend the rules,” Luc answered.

“Why not?” I asked.

“You know how it goes… if I do it for one, then I’ve got all my employees whining to go home early. Things would never get done. It’d be a mess.”

Something about his answer didn’t quite fit. I knew he wasn’t telling me the truth… or thewholetruth. I hated not knowing things.

“Do you want me to go home?” I asked both the men, really. I mean, I didn’t actually want to because—though I’d never tell them this—I enjoyed our banter. I’d never had this even with Jeffery. We were always that gaggy-sweet couple. The type people made fun of behind their backs.

This somehow felt more…me.

“No,” Connor said, giving me another nugget of sweetness from him. He held me from behind, nuzzling my neck with his nose. “Something’s happening with your magic. We need to figure out what or more to the point, why.”

“You can’t talk to me in that voice and expect me not to, like, strip myself naked and tackle you right here.”

“Keep up the voice, mate,” one of the other men in the room shouted.

“Better join me in my office.” Luc placed his hand on my shoulder. “We can try our hand at research because as much as I’d like to see you strip naked and mount my boy here, I don’t want him ripping out the throat of anyone who might get a look at you, including mine.”

Connor’s arms squeezed harder around me as he pulled me in tighter against his body. His very strong, solid…whoa! “You really need to let me go,” I whispered to him. “I’m so turned on with you this close that I could probably orgasm without you doing much more than this.”

“Simone,” he whispered, pressing another kiss to the skin right below my ear.

“What? I haven’t had sex in two years and you’re hot. You smell so good, it’s making me light-headed.” I closed my eyes, pressing my butt against his groin, and I maybe sort of began to grind against him. I couldn’t help it. Like it was literally beyond my control.

He growled in my ear. “Simone, baby, you’ve got to stop that.”

“Not gonna lie, Con,” Luc said, cutting in. “This is really hot.”

“That’s it,” Connor returned. “She’s staying with me.” No matter how forcefully he wanted me to stop, he refused to let me go, keeping my body exactly where I was, pressed against him.

“Obviously she can’t,” said Luc. “She’s coming with me into my office.”

“I’m really not comfortable with that,” Connor snapped.

Luc turned his impatient eyes to me. “Will you put us all out of our misery and bed him already? This overly protective bit won’t end until you play a couple rounds of slap and tickle.”

“Are you trying to pimp me out, Luc?”

“It’s not me. The universe pimped you before you were even born.”

“Would you two stop talking about pimping my mate?” Connor got that sexy, low growl to his voice and I officially hated the universe. Who did the universe think it was, giving me a mate with a low, sexy growl and a job he couldn’t leave for several more hours?

I snickered as a deliciously wicked thought popped in my head. “Is there a coat closet around?”

“Say, that’s not a bad idea,” Luc agreed.

“The first time I sleep with my mate isnotgoing to be in a coat closet at work.”

“Connor, Connor, Connor, no one said anything about sleep…” I said. “Then I’m sure Luc will let us use his office.”

“Only if I can watch,” Luc countered.

“No—youwill notwatch,” Connor yelled.

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