“You live with a witch, so you must understand throw pillows.” Then I realized I hadn’t seen a single throw pillow in Melina’s condo. “Okay, Melina might be the perfect witch and not believe in these things, but my sister bought these pillows for me because she truly believes my house needs them. I can tell you from experience she takes them very seriously.”
Mr. Whiskers climbed up on the sofa with me, looking for more of an explanation.
“It’s not really a long story,” I began, smiling at the memory. “Jessa said I needed these throw pillows, and I waited until she turned away from me to toss one at the back of her head. She wasn’t at all amused. I thought it was funny as hell since they call them throw pillows, but Jessa got pissed at me. When Jessa gets pissed, she spends a long time coming up with evil ways to get back to me, and that’s why I now have probably a hundred throw pillows, most so ugly I cringe when I look at them. When I threatened to toss them out, she cried. I fucking hate it when my little sisters cry, and I’m still not sure if that was an act to get me to keep the damn pillows, or if I’d really hurt her feelings.”
I chuckled at the perplexed way the condor was studying me.
“Okay, it’s more than the crying, although, that does bother me. Jessa also makes the best cookies, and she never brings me any when she’s mad at me.”
I had three baby sisters—Julia, Jessa, and Jolie. They were all technically adults, but I still had trouble accepting that most days. To the best of my knowledge, my sisters were still fairly innocent when it came to men. Dylan had accused me of being delusional about my sisters more than once, but I was fine with that. It was probably best if I never heard about any of my sisters dating. It made it much less likely I’d try to get Melina to cast one of her impotence spells on every unattached warlock, possibly some of the attached ones, as well.
My phone buzzed, and I saw that it was Dylan calling this time, which came as a surprise since I hadn’t expected to hear from him for the next couple of weeks.
“Hey, Dylan,” I answered.
“Hey, Trev,” Dylan said by way of greeting.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on your honeymoon?” I asked my best friend and business partner.
“Damn! I knew I’d forgotten something.” There was no missing the sarcasm in Dylan’s voice.
“So, why are you calling?” I asked.
“Am I interrupting anything?” Dylan sounded amused. I hadn’t mentioned my bet with Melina, but it seemed he thought I was up to something interesting.
“Just watching television,” I told him.
“I was wondering if you’d hooked up with one of your exes at the wedding,” he remarked.
“Why would you think that?” I asked.
“You were acting strange at the reception,” Dylan explained. “Allie figured you’d managed to corner Mel and convince her to give you a chance, but I told her that couldn’t be the case or you would have been all over Mel for the rest of the evening.”
“Wouldn’t I have been hanging around one of my exes if I’d hooked up with them at the reception?” I asked Dylan.
He snorted. “Nah, you’d have been doing your best to make sure I didn’t know about that so I couldn’t tease you when you remembered why things hadn’t worked out.”
“For the record, I had no trouble resisting the temptation to hook up with one of the witches from my past,” I assured him. “Do you honestly think I’d have been humping Melina’s leg the whole reception if I’d tracked her down to talk?”
“No one has forgotten how obsessed you were six months ago. I suppose it’s possible you cornered Mel, and she turned your ass down again, but it looked like you were about to get lucky. You went from brooding to smug.” I decided it was crazy to argue with Dylan since he’d known me long enough to make that call. “So, is it a new witch you met at the wedding?”
Dylan wasn’t going to let this go easily, and normally, I’d just tell him, but if Melina hadn’t told Allie, I didn’t want to be the one to do it. It was a little early in this agreement for me to piss Melina off, so I decided to give a vague answer in the hopes of dissuading Dylan from pushing.
“I’ll introduce you to her when you get back,” I assured Dylan. “She’s definitely something special.” That response seemed good. I hadn’t technically lied, unless you wanted to consider it a lie by omission.
“I’m glad you’re finally moving on from Mel. We’ve all been concerned about how fixated you’ve been on her,” Dylan admitted, sounding like I’d alleviated some huge worry. “I was about ready to beg her to go out with you for a couple of weeks so you could get her out of your system.”
“That wouldn’t have been humiliating,” was my dry response.
“Humiliating or not, I was getting desperate,” Dylan admitted. “I’m glad you’ve accepted that Mel isn’t the witch for you.”
If I kept talking to Dylan about this, I’d end up telling him all about my bet with Melina or arguing that she was the only witch for me, so I decided to change the subject. “Did you call to talk about my love life?”
“Nah,” he said. “I got a call from Demetrius Talbot.”
Demetrius Talbot was Allie’s uncle, and he was also sort of related to Melina. He’d been married to Melina’s mom until she’d gotten tired of him fucking every witch willing to spread her legs. The Talbot men had a history of fucking around, and it had been one of the reasons Allie had been so reluctant to trust Dylan. I suspected it was part of the reason Melina had avoided getting involved with warlocks until now, even if she hadn’t said as much.
“What did he want?” I asked.
“I don’t have any idea, but he insisted it was urgent,” Dylan explained. “When I suggested he call the office tomorrow, he told me he’d just stop by your home.”
“Arrogant bastard,” I grumbled, and I might be tempted to refuse to meet with him tomorrow if I didn’t know he’d show up at my home, which could create problems with Melina. I’d feed his ego to protect my witch. “When is the meeting?”
“I had Sage set up an appointment for him at nine tomorrow.”
“Nine in the morning? Why so early?” I asked.
“I already know you rescheduled all of your early morning appointments for the week, and Demetrius was anxious to meet with one of us,” Dylan explained. “The fact that you’d rescheduled the early appointments is how I knew you had a witch staying with you.”
I bit my tongue. “Fine, I’ll go in at nine.”
“Thanks, Trev,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get to meet this new witch when I get back.”
His meaning was clear; he wasn’t sure I’d still be dating this witch when he got back. Given my history, I couldn’t fault him for his assumption.
We made a little small talk before finally ending the call. As I was about to set my phone on the coffee table, it buzzed with an incoming message.
MELINA: I know you’re going to think I’m doing this to avoid you, but I have to do some work here before I come back to your place. Things are a mess.
ME: I understand.
I didn’t understand, but that was because I felt like a selfish ass who wanted Melina to only think about me. It was easy to justify that when this was our first night together, but I got that she hadn’t asked for an emergency to come up with the show.
MELINA: One of the actresses was murdered.
That, I hadn’t expected. I’d figured it was an actor not showing up for rehearsal or last minute rewrites because something didn’t look right in rehearsals.
ME: I’m sorry, honey. Was it related to the show?
MELINA: Maybe. I can’t talk about it. I need to do some rewrites and get new scripts out to the actors before we film tomorrow.
I knew enough about Melina to know she’d be doing her best to appear strong and unaffected by all of this, which made me want to be there for her even more. Granted, there was a very real possibility she would push me away, but I still had to try.
ME:
How about if I bring dinner?
That seemed like an innocent enough offer. I expected her to turn me down, but I figured it was worth a shot. The long hesitation on her part made me think it was even more likely she was either going to turn me down or pretend she hadn’t gotten my message. I could picture her trying to come up with a reason I couldn’t go down there that I wouldn’t argue with. I’d already decided that if she turned me down, I was going to accept it. I’d pushed my witch enough in the last couple of days.
MELINA: That would be great. Don’t bring Mr. Whiskers. There might still be a human police detective here. The last thing I want to do is explain why I’m in possession of an endangered species. He’ll be okay on his own for a couple of hours.
ME: What should I bring?
MELINA: I don’t care, as long as it’s not a salad. Surprise me.
I grinned, happy that I was going to get to bring my witch dinner. Maybe I was getting somewhere with her. I sent a quick message to Dylan’s mom, asking if she could watch Mr. Whiskers for a few hours so I wouldn’t have to leave Melina as quickly. The reason I picked her instead of my own mother was simple; Dylan’s mom was the only person who knew I’d tracked Melina down at the reception, and she probably wouldn’t be surprised that Melina was staying with me. It wasn’t that I didn’t plan to tell my own family, but telling them would delay me. My mom would definitely have questions.
Chapter Twenty-One
Melina
I’d been questioning the wisdom of agreeing to let Trevor bring me dinner since I’d sent the text, which was crazy. I’d stared at that text for several minutes before sending it, and then I’d wanted to take it back. I wanted Trevor here, but I didn’t want to deal with the questions from the cast and crew on top of everything else I was dealing with. It had been months since they’d seen Trevor essentially stalking me. He’d shown up with dinners for me on multiple occasions back then. I’d kept him at arm’s length, but people had still speculated that we’d been dating, and then they’d assumed we’d had an ugly breakup.
What annoyed me most was that I should be working on script rewrites, not worrying about what people would think about me dating Trevor, or whatever it was we were doing. We hadn’t gone on a date. In fact, Trevor hadn’t even mentioned dating, so I wasn’t sure how to explain it to others.
There was a knock at the door. “Come on in,” I called out, expecting Trevor with dinner. Instead, Detective Giovanni entered the office, looking tired but somewhat less annoyed than he had when we’d first met.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked.
“Sure,” I replied, since I hadn’t really been focusing on work. Why bother pretending I was getting a lot done today?
“First, I want to apologize for my attitude when I got here,” he began. “I’d also appreciate it if you don’t release any information about the murder yet. I was able to find the family’s contact information, so I’ll be heading over there now to speak to them.”
I nodded. “Let me know when we can announce it to the rest of the cast and crew. I know you’ve spoken to some of them already, so it won’t be long before it gets around.”
He nodded. “Your producer insisted you’re the best contact here.”
“Because Leo’s an annoying little troll,” I grumbled, earning me a chuckle from Detective Giovanni.
“Yes, he is,” the detective agreed. “You have my card,” he began but stopped when my attention shifted.
Trevor stood in the doorway with a takeout bag, looking like he wasn’t sure if he should come in, or if he should wait outside until I was done with my meeting.
“Thanks for bringing dinner,” I told him with as warm a smile as I could manage at the moment.
The way Trevor’s lips slowly curled up made my blood heat and my body clench with desire. Funny how I’d thought having Trevor would make me want him less. If anything, I wanted Trevor even more now that I knew how good we were together.
The detective eyed Trevor, likely trying to decide if he should have interviewed him about the murder.
“This is my friend, Trevor,” I told the detective. “He doesn’t work on the show.”
The only reaction I got from Trevor about my introduction was a raised eyebrow. Friend was probably not the best way to describe him, but I had no idea what to call him at this point.
“I’ll let you get to your dinner.”
Trevor moved to the side and kept his eyes on the detective as he exited the office. When we were alone, Trevor closed and locked the door.
“So, we’re friends now?” he asked, setting the bag on my desk.
“I guess that’s a good way to describe us,” I replied with a shrug. “Did you have another word you prefer?”
Trevor considered my words as he unloaded the bag. “I guess it doesn’t matter what you call me as long as you’re in my bed every night.” His words made the ache between my legs intensify.
Dressed in worn blue jeans and a grey t-shirt that was stretched tight across his muscles, Trevor looked more relaxed than I was used to seeing him. As a lawyer, he dressed professionally for work, and he’d mostly visited me in his work clothes. At most, he’d stripped off the tie and jacket before stopping by the studio. Today, I’d enjoyed seeing him in more casual attire. It suited him better.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to fuck you on your desk,” Trevor growled.
No bitchy reply came to mind. In fact, all I could think about was how good it would feel to have Trevor inside of me. I’d never done it on my desk. Sex at work had always seemed far too unprofessional, but this had been one hell of a night, and I was feeling more emotional and needy than usual. My gaze dropped to Trevor’s lips and then traced a leisurely path down his body until I reached the growing bulge in his jeans. If I’d known how impressive Trevor was before, I might not have waited this long to consider sex on my desk.
“Fuck,” Trevor hissed when he faced me again, his eyes darkened with desire.
This was what I wanted. No, this was what I needed. Closing the distance between us, Trevor spun my chair so I was facing him, with a perfect view of that huge bulge in his jeans. I licked my lips, just thinking about his fantastic cock. One of Trevor’s hands appeared in front of my face, and I took it, looking up to meet his gaze.
One thing I excelled at was saying the wrong thing. If anyone was going to fuck up a moment, it was me, which was why I wasn’t surprised that I felt the need to open my mouth at a time like this.
“Are you doing this to prove a point?” If I could have gone back in time, I would have smacked myself before I could utter those words.
Trevor looked momentarily confused, so I decided to make matters worse by explaining what I’d meant, even as part of my brain was screaming at me to shut up. “Are you annoyed that I called you a friend instead of telling the detective there’s something more between us? I mean, you said you didn’t care, but it seemed to bother you when I said it.”
Trevor chuckled, not the reaction I’d expected. “I honestly don’t care what you label us, Melina,” he murmured, cupping my cheek in one hand. “The words you use don’t change what we are to each other.”
My lips parted, ready to say something else to screw things up, when Trevor rescued me from myself with a kiss. His tongue slid past my lips, making me moan. Trevor’s other hand moved around to tangle in my hair at the back of my head as he explored my mouth. His hand moved from my cheek before slipping under my shirt to cup one of my breasts.
“I’m going to fuck you because I can’t resist you.” Trevor’s voice was rough with desire when he uttered those words against my lips. “You’re an addiction, Melina, and all I can think about is getting another taste of you. Do you want me in you?”
I nodded, and his hands moved to strip my shirt over my head, leaving me in nothing but my lacy black bra, which I’d worn to impress him when I got back to his house later. Leaning forward, Trevor sucked one of my nipples into his mouth. The s
crape of lace against my already sensitive nipple made me whimper and clutch his hair to hold him in place. He took my cue and sucked hard before biting down gently. Pinpricks of pleasure and pain shot through my body, and I was amazed that my legs were still able to hold my weight.
Releasing my nipple, Trevor looked up at me, while I was still gripping his hair to hold him in place. There was no denying I was shameless when it came to Trevor. “Are you wet for me, Melina?”
I nodded and shuddered with need.
“Show me,” he commanded, and I released his hair to stare at him, not quite sure what he was asking for.
“Slip out of your pants and slide your fingers between your legs. Let me taste how wet you are for me,” he crooned.
I nodded, and he stepped back, his eyes remaining on my hands as I pushed my yoga pants and thong down my legs. Since I always took my shoes off in my office, I didn’t need to worry about them, but before I could kick out of my pants, Trevor’s hand wrapped around one of my wrists to stop me.
“On second thought, leave those around your ankles. You are sexy as hell this way,” he rasped, his voice thick with arousal.
I nodded. Trevor’s attention returned to my fingers as I slid them between my legs, skimming over my swollen clit and circling my opening before sliding one finger in. My hand shook ever so slightly as I pulled my finger out and held it near Trevor’s mouth. His tongue darted out, running along my finger. A growl rumbled from his lips before Trevor dropped to his knees in front of my desk, burying his tongue in my body, which wasn’t easy with my pants still around my ankles. Clutching his hair, I bit my lower lip to fight back my moan. Trevor’s tongue stroked the walls of my pussy, making me quiver with need.
Shamelessly Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 2) Page 9
