Page 19 of Boss Witch

“You okay?” she asked.

“What?”

“I don’t know, it was like your face was about to rain or something.”

“If you bring me to tears, I’ll let you know,” he said, quietly startled. “But you didn’t answer. Coffee klatch?”

“Right, sorry. The seniors meet up Monday through Friday at the fire station from eight to ten in the morning. It’s a quarter for a cup of coffee. The stories are free. I stop by before work sometimes as a form of community service. Old folks are a hoot.”

“I imagine that they would be. Is it open to anyone?”

Clem smiled. “Anyone with a quarter and a modicum of patience.”

“Good to know.”

Whatever else he might’ve said was forestalled by the buzz of his phone. His father’s icon flashed, and he stifled a sigh.

He made a “hold up”gesture in her direction. “Just a moment. Duty calls, I’m afraid.”

Chapter 6

While Gavin moved off to speak quietly on the phone, Clem interpreted his expression.

She couldn’t read lips, but she could tell this was a prod to do his job from whoever oversaw the witch hunters. Everything about this situation sucked, but the aching tug in her chest sucked the hardest. It was so unadvisable to care what made him look like that, to wonder why his face was suddenly a storm cloud when he’d been all smiles before.

You have to stop nagging Danica if you catch feelings for a damn witch hunter.

Maybe it was too late for that since she’d already gotten Gavin a pet mouse, one specially coaxed by a gifted vivimancer to adapt to new people and situations.It’s a strategy, that’s all.Clem tried to give herself a pep talk as he wrapped up the conversation and she checked her backpack to make sure she’d stowed the berries securely. Eventually, he headed over, but she could tell the date was done. She pulled the straps over both shoulders and secured it. Her wallet was in there along with the U-­Pick berry haul and the empty breakfast containers. It wouldn’t do for it to launch onto the highway on the way back to St. Claire.

“Ready to go?” she asked, not giving him a chance to call an end to the interlude.

For some reason, it mattered a lot that the power stayed in her hands for this moment. Hell, this man—­no, thiswitch hunter—­had too much influence over her emotions already. Gavin nodded. Then he floored her by lacing their fingers together, matching his pace to hers as they strolled toward his bike.

“Sorry for the interruption.”

“It’s fine. I need to be at work soon anyway. I’m glad you could indulge me with a weird, early date since I open the shop every day but Sunday.”

“Doesn’t it get tiring?”

“Sometimes,” she admitted. “But I’m more of a morning person than Danica, and I sometimes take time off to attend conferences. I just got back from a marketing seminar, and she worked from open to close all four days.”

Gavin laughed quietly. “You don’t have to defend your cousin. I didn’t mean to imply she’s taken advantage in any fashion. I was ruminating on the monotony of a day job.”

“Is that why you took a sabbatical? Tired of students pestering you?”

“Partly,” he said.

Clem read the ambivalence in his expression, but she chose not to press. She told herself she was being judicious with her questions so as not to arouse his suspicions, but deep down, even she didn’t believe that bullshit. The truth was, she didn’t want to poke at his sore spots when she ought to be looking for any weakness she could exploit. Instead, she threw her leg over the back of his bike and snuggled against his warm back, pressing her cheek to the firm muscle before he laughingly tossed her a helmet.

“Right, I should wear this. Safety and all that.”

“Trust me, I’d rather have your pretty face as well, but I don’t want to be responsible for mucking it up.” With that, he fired up the vintage Ducati, and they roared off in a spray of gravel.

Clem watched the countryside zip by through the filtered lens of the tinted helmet. It was weird not feeling the wind on her face when she could hear it rushing past. She tightened her arms on his waist, furtively glorying in the soft tingles of arousal that spread through her entire body.Holy shit.Sex with the witch hunter would most likely blow off her figurative doors. Possibly the bike vibrations were giving her some of these good feelings, but the excitement couldn’t be explained entirely that way.

By the time he dropped her off in front of the café, she was almost ready to drag him off into an alley to finish any way she could, even dry humping against the wall like a teenager.

Fortunately, Gavin didn’t seem to realize how much he turned her on, so he didn’t tease or offer one of those thick thighs for her use.

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