Page 29 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

“What are we watching?” he asked.

I blinked. “Sex.”

He broke into a wide smile. “We’re watching sex?”

“What? No. It’sPractical Magic.”

Connor snickered as he bent to pile food on his plate. While moving back into a comfortable position, he stopped to press a kiss to my lips. “Since Sandra Bullock doesn’t star in porn, I’m going to guess that’s not what you meant. If you want sex, Simone, just say the word.”

I opened my mouth and somehow got “food first” to fall out.

Whoa. I totally needed to figure out how to turn the dial down on this connection. It seemed a bit too unhealthy for my liking because being with him simply felt better than anything else in my life. I wasn’t ready for that level of intensity. We’d only just met. Okay, well, we didn’t exactlyjustmeet. I’d known him long enough to get the business at least ten times in three different locations. Still my point held validity—even if only to me.

Today was a good, easy day. Connor joined me in bed and we slept. Like actual sleep. He held me throughout the night.

When my alarm went off the next morning I tried to be quiet for him again, but as it turned out, he woke up right along with me.

“I can’t have sex right now, Connor. I need to get ready for work.”

“I wasn’t actually thinking about sex, but good job. Now I am.” He rolled over to pin me down and he kissed me. “As it turns out, I don’t have time this morning, either.”

“Did Luc give you the night off? I just realized that you slept here.”

He eyed me like I’d gone around the bend again. “Youjustrealized that?”

“No. I knew you slept here, I meant that it just hit me you were here all night.”

Connor shrugged. “Luc got called away on business. Usually I join him unless he’s working with upper management.”

I furrowed my brows. “You mean Lucifer ismiddlemanagement?”

My mate smiled indulgently, pointing up. “No.Uppermanagement.” Ah… okay. I got it now. That seemed reasonable.

“What are your plans?” I asked.

“Calling a realtor.”

“What are you selling?”

He chuckled. “This is a nice pad. You should get a good price for it.”

“I know it’s nice. That’s why I bought it. I have no intention of selling. Why would you say that?”

“Because you’re moving in with me,” he said with as much nonchalance as one might say the bed had pillows.

“What a silly boy you are.” I reached up to scratch behind his ear. “I’mnot moving. But feel free to stay here anytime you like. When you aren’t moving your mouth, I actually enjoy your company.”

“Stay anytime I like? Simone, we’re mates. The universe wants you in my bed every night and waking up next to me every morning for like…ever.”

“So you want to move in together, like,officially?”

“Don’t blame me. Blame the universe.”

“I mean, it’s fast… It’s not as if I haven’t clued in from the universe, but that’s a big step.”

He pulled out one of hiswhat in the hell is wrong with you?faces from his repertoire of faces that I knew he kept just for me. “Bigger than mating?” he asked on the verge of shouting. “We’ve mated. It’s the supernatural equivalent of getting married with the universe officiating. It’s a done deal, baby. We started down the path the moment we locked eyes. But when you let me take you on Luc’s sofa, you said ‘I do.’ No going back now.”

“That’s a lot to take in.”

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