A Barrel of Whiskey - (An Urban Fantasy Whiskey Witches Novel) (30 page)

His lips parted. He grabbed her thighs and pushed himself inside.

She stilled as every nerve ending in her body lit on fire. Her body clenched around him, drawing him deeper into her.

He stilled, waiting.

As the orgasm drifted away from her, he moved, finding his rhythm.

The fire rekindled, edged higher and higher inside her again. She clawed at the bed covers, ready to leap over the orgasmic edge again.

He stopped, his eyes closed.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“I’m about to come,” he said, his voice strained. “Too fast.”

She really didn’t care! She needed him. Now. “Fuck me harder. Right now.”

He grabbed her hips and flipped her onto her stomach.

She stood on tiptoes, bent over the edge of the bed. Every nerve settled as soon as he entered her from behind.

His grabbed her hips. “Hard.”

Gods be damned. “Yes.
Hard
.”

He rammed himself inside her, touching the very core of her. His grunts rose in pitch as his rhythm quickened.

She raised her butt, lowering her torso closer to the bed, so that each stroke touched her in the place that sent fireworks exploding through her entire body. Higher and higher. Bigger and bigger. Hotter. Hotter.

He gasped, then jerked.

One final explosion of sheer enjoyment ricocheted over and around her.

He jerked again, then lay on top of her, breathing into her hair.

She chuckled and shoved him with her hips.

He pulled out of her.

Her body shivered as if not ready to let him leave just yet.

Collapsing onto the bed, his legs dangling over the side, Dexx caught his breath. “Sorry that didn’t last very long.”

Paige crawled onto the bed, but not under the covers. It was too hot for that. “Well, it was the first time. That’s always the worst.”

He chuckled. “I do have more stamina.”

“Right. Well, you can show me next time.” Because they would
have
a next time.

W
aking up with Dexx drooling in her hair wasn’t nearly as romantic as one might think. It was drool in her hair, and snoring in her ear. Snoring. In her ear.

Penis. Good.

Snoring. Bad.

She retrieved her hair from under his head and unraveled herself from the pretzel of blankets entangling her feet and legs.

His arm encircled her waist, pulling her toward him.

“Pee,” she said.

He grunted at her and let her go. “Back. Soon.”

She pried her eyes open. She was not a morning person.

However, three minutes in the bathroom and she was awake enough to pull on her pajama pants—which were in the bathroom for some reason—and a t-shirt that Dexx had left behind. She stepped lightly down the hall to Mandy’s room and opened the door.

Leah’s cot was empty.

Paige’s heart beat wildly in her chest. Had yesterday been a ploy? Had Leah played her? Trying to get on Paige’s good side so she could slip out and visit Rachel? Paige turned and walked quickly to Leah’s room.

Leah’s blonde head peaked out from under her pink comforter. She turned toward the door, her blue eyes open. She took in a sleepy breath and gave a small smile.

Paige quieted her rampaging heart and held onto the doorframe. She had to get a grip, but…her baby had been taken from her once before. A parent didn’t just get over that because her daughter was back. No. It took time.

Maybe Paige needed some therapy, too.

Yeah. Wine therapy.

She walked over to Leah’s bed and sat down on the edge of it. “You weren’t in Mandy’s room.”

“The cot was hard.”

Made sense, but, oh man, Paige’s heart still raced. “Sleeping alone was okay?”

“Yeah. I’ve had my own room for a long time, Mom.”

“Yeah. Sorry. I guess you have. I just worry.”

“Don’t know why. You think I’m going to run away?”

Paige didn’t answer, didn’t want to hear the answer come out of her mouth.

Leah turned over, giving Paige her back. “Well, I’m not. I’ll try this, Mom. But I’m still tired and you’re walking on lava.”

Paige frowned. “What?”

“The floor is lava, Mom,” Leah said in a “duh” voice. “I can’t get out of bed yet or I’ll be set on fire.”

“There’s breakfast downstairs.”

“I’m not hungry yet.”

Paige rolled her eyes and walked to the door. “Well, when you’re ready to eat, you know how to make cereal.”

“You’re not making the cereal. Seriously, Mom. You’re just pouring milk on it.”

Geez. Teenagers.

Paige closed the door behind her and went to check on Bobby.

His eyes were open, his little hands and feet thumping the air. Kamden was gone. He must have woken up earlier.

Paige lifted him out of the crib. His diaper was giving off a pee vibe, so she took him to the changing table. “Hey, there, little dude. Did you sleep okay?”

He didn’t answer. Not that she thought he would. Well, Leah had when she’d been a baby. She’d been a talker.

Paige finished up his diaper and stilled. “You lost your mother two days ago, little dude. You’ll never hear her voice again. You’ll never know about her. The world will know you only as my son. I didn’t carry you. I didn’t feel you twitch. I didn’t comfort you. I didn’t sing to you and talk to you and feed you pickles and peanut butter when you woke me up in the middle of the night. That was Heather, your real mom.”

He sighed, almost as if he understood her.

A prophet. Direct connection to God. Did he understand her, or was he just a really quiet baby?

Paige shook her head as another realization hit her square in the face. “I need to make funeral arrangements. I don’t even know who her real friends were. Who should I contact?”

He flailed a fist and kicked his feet.

“Oh, little dude.” She gathered him up in her arms. “We have to bury your real mom soon and I have no idea if it’s safe for me to bring you, or to show up. I have to do what’s right for her, but I have to keep you safe. If I were your real mother and I was sitting around waiting for the reaper to collect my soul and I was staring down at the woman taking my place, I’d hope to high hell that she cared more about my son than she did about me.”

He burrowed his head against Paige’s breast.

She sighed and walked out of the room. “I seriously suck as a human being. You could do with someone a lot better than me.”

Leslie and Tru were in the kitchen, Kamden in his bouncy seat in the middle of the table. “Bottle’s on the counter,” Leslie said. “Should still be warm.”

“Thanks, Les.” Paige retrieved it and shoved it between Bobby’s gaping lips, trying to dodge his flailing fists. “What are your—”

A knock on the door interrupted her.

Paige frowned at Leslie.

She shook her head. “No one comes to the door when you’re not here. It’s for you. Have fun.”

Rolling her eyes, handed Bobby off to her sister before heading for the door. She didn’t want to show Bobby off to the world just yet. She peered through the side window, pulling aside the curtains and frowned. She opened the door. “Chuck. What are you doing here? And how’d you get through the ward?”

“What ward?” Chuck shook his head. “I wasn’t sure if I could just show up.”

“You have my phone number.”

“Had. It’s on a piece of paper and I couldn’t find it.”

“You put Dexx’s in your phone.”

“He’s not answering.”

“Oh.” Paige shook her head, hearing Dexx’s feet on the stairs. “What’s going on?”

“Can I—” Chuck shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. “Is it okay if I’m here?”

“I’m okay with it.” She pulled back and called softly. “Hey, Les.”

Leslie stepped into the hallway with Bobby in her arms, a bottle tucked under chin. “Yeah.”

“Are you okay if I invite a shifter into our home?”

“We already let Dexx in.”

“I know. But you don’t know this one.”

“Is he going to wolf out and kill us all?”

Paige looked at Chuck, her lips pursed out. She shook her head at her sister. “Probably not. Dude’s got a lot of control.”

“Great.” Leslie flipped her hand and continued forward. “Have him give me a class on that and invite the man in already.”

“Your grandmother,” Chuck reminded.

Paige shrugged. “Is still sleeping. What she doesn’t know can’t kill her.”

“That is an untrue statement, Peanut,” Alma said behind Paige.

Paige yelped and jumped. “Fuck, Grandma.”

Alma stepped out of the workroom, tugging her robe closed, her white hair a frizzy mess. “However, come in. Get off the porch. Don’t need Merry
seeing
you.”

Paige stepped back so Chuck could enter and gestured to the living room, closing the door behind him.

“I do apologize about this intrusion, High Witch Whiskey.”

Alma sighed, waving him off. “I haven’t been called that in a very long time, and I doubt I’ll continue to be called that for much longer. I wanted to discuss your treaty with you in any case. So it’s good you’re here.” She headed toward the kitchen. “I, however, need coffee and something to eat, so bring your keester into the kitchen.”

Chuck raised his eyebrows.

Paige shrugged and gestured for the shifter to follow her grandmother down the hall.

Dexx made it to the bottom of the stair. He had pants, but lacked a shirt.

“No.” Paige shook her finger at him. “There are kids here, more specifically teenage girls. You will wear clothes when they’re here.”

He released a breath like a deflated balloon and went back up the stairs. “What is he doing here?”

“Were you here when he said what he was doing here? Good. Because neither was I and I was here for the entire conversation. Go. I’ll make sure we talk about all the good stuff without you. Okay?”

Dexx glared as he disappeared into the hallway toward their bedroom.

Their bedroom. Great.

Paige tipped her head to the side with a breath and walked down the hall to the kitchen. This should be interesting.

Chuck looked up when she entered the room. “I don’t mean to intrude, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Okay.” Sounded serious. She took Bobby from Leslie, tucking him to her shoulder and patting his back.

“Then, I take it we’re not discussing the treaty,” Alma said frankly from the stove.

Bobby released a small, milky burp in Paige’s ear. Ah. Babies. So cute.

“I will gladly discuss it with you, High Witch Whiskey.”

“Oh, for the love of donkeys, call me Alma.”

“Of course, Miss Alma.”

She sighed and poured coffee in a cup. “Do you drink this?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, get over here and doctor it up as you please.”

He went to the island and took the cup from her. “Thank you. Paige, one of my shifters was attacked this morning.”

“Oh my goodness.” Paige walked to the island, thought about it, then took Bobby to his bouncy chair.

Mandy burst into the room, her eyes round with wonder as she stared at Chuck. “You’re a shape shifter?”

“So’s Dexx,” Paige said.

“Yeah, but he’s a real one,” Mandy said, giving Paige a well-duh look that had to be a teen thing.

Holy buckets. “A real one?” Paige asked.

“Yeah, you know, been one for more than a week?”

“Well, Dexx has been one for two.” Almost. Not really.

“Whew.” Mandy flared her hands, her eyes wide. “It’s awesome to meet you as long as you’re not here to eat me.”

“I promise I will not eat you,” Chuck said with a bow.

Paige rolled her eyes. “Mandy. Chuck. Chuck. Mandy. One of your shifters was attacked. Where? When? Is everyone okay?”

“At the gas station right outside of our camp.”

“That’s not a camp, Chuck.” Paige shook her head. “That’s a town.”

“Whatever you wish to call it, she was attacked a few miles outside our protections.”

“So, someone knew your protections?”

“Protections?” Tyler asked, sliding into the kitchen, his cape flaring. “Like spike pits? Those are protections.”

Paige rolled her eyes. “The zoo, Les.”

“What do you want me to do, Pea?” Les cuffed her son’s head and pointed him to the cereal cabinet. “It’s morning and they haven’t eaten in over eight hours.”

“We have pups.” Chuck smiled.

Paige gestured to the boy. “Tyler.”

Tyler wiggled his eyebrows. “I break glass with my voice.”

Chuck smiled smugly. “I tear out throats with my teeth.”

“Cool.”

“Not cool,” Leslie said. “We don’t promote violence here.”

“Right,” Paige said. “Because we’re going to erase it from everywhere.”

“Oh, shut up.”

“I could probably break eardrums,” Tyler said helpfully as he was shoved toward the cereal cabinet. “No. That’s a good offense. The trick to is to survive. I read books. I watch movies. I play video games.”

The last part was muffled.

Leslie shook her head. “I give up.”

“It is my fault,” Chuck said. “I showed up unexpectedly.

Paige needed to get everyone to refocus. “Who has the case?”

“I do not know,” Chuck said. “Police showed up. Local, I think. She was stabbed.”

Why didn’t he lead with that? “I asked you how she was.”

“She is fine. She was in critical condition earlier, but she is out now. Stabilized.”