Holiday Mates: Supernatural Enforcers Agency Short Stories (28 page)

All other men probably do, she thought wistfully.

The huge, goddess-like lioness placed a hand on his shoulder.  “Hey, the doc’s starting to sound like his normal, arrogant self again.”

He shrugged off her hand and gathered Ariadne to him.  Warm, strong arms circled her, and she felt the bristles of his unshaved jaw tickle her neck as he inhaled deeply, letting out a shuddering breath.

“Mine,” he purred.

“This is normal?” she gasped, pretending she wasn’t enjoying the feel of his hard body against her softer curves.

Bettina rolled her eyes.  “Do you have any of those cupcakes left?  Maybe this spell needs a bit more work.”

*

Calisto picked at her dinner.  Honestly, the girl ate her out of house and home and yet Ariadne hardly ever saw her eat anything.

“How was your day?”

Calisto shrugged in reply, countering with, “How was your day?”

Ariadne flushed as the reply ‘I almost enjoyed a sensual mauling by a lion’ nearly escaped her lips.

She would have too if the lioness, gorilla, and gator hadn’t banded together to pull him away from her.  But that didn’t quench her arousal.  Ariadne had never known what it was to feel so… so…
lusty
.  Panties wet, pulse racing, she had actually done something she hadn’t ever done before – brought herself to orgasm with her fingers.  All the while imagining that it was the huge lion gently teasing her into ecstasy.

She came to orgasm far too easily, screaming his name. 
Rick
.  It just rolled off her tongue.  Oh, the things she wanted him to do with
his
tongue.

“Mom?”

Ariadne blinked.  “Oh, ah, yes?”

“You’re drooling.”

She wiped her mouth, thankful of the interruption of the phone.  She answered it, pretending Calisto’s scrutinizing expression wasn’t bothering her.

“Oh, Jay, how can I help?”

She dared a glance at Calisto.  With all the excitement of the lion, she hadn’t mentioned that she’d found a suitable fake father for the dance - even if he were an odd coyote shifter who demanded two hundred bucks up front.  Yeah, even as she thought it she had her doubts again.

“I have to leave town,” came Jay’s strangled reply.

“Oh, why?  What’s going on?”

“I have to leave town.  So I quit.  Bye.”

“Wait, Jay!  Jay?”

Ariadne slammed the phone down.  Where the heck had that come from?  Great, now she was short of one bakery employee, two hundred bucks and a father substitute.

Just terrific!

How could it get any worse?  She cringed and peeked out the window.  Seriously, how could it get any worse?  She waited, but nope, no thunder, no lightning, no raining frogs – huh.

Bang bang bang bang.

Oh Hera, here it comes!

Before she could stop her, Calisto ran to the door, flinging it open – effectively ignoring that hour-long lecture Ariadne gave her about using the spy hole and asking who it was first.

Calisto stopped on seeing their guest, her huge eyes blinking for a moment before she hooted with laughter and actually doubled over, clutching at her stomach.

“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady,” declared the man in an extremely unrealistic gorilla costume.  Seriously, Ariadne would have made a better gorilla during the summer she decided to stop shaving – it was in protest against something she could no longer recall.

The gorilla stepped back as an army of delivery guys burst into her house carrying bundles of yellow carnations.

“What is all this?” cried Ariadne, attempting to get her own mirth under control.

When the flowers seemed to adorn every inch of her small house, the delivery guys filed out, and the gorilla cleared his throat and started dancing a jig and reciting a poem.

“My dearest witch, you are so fine.  You can run.  You can hide.  But my beautiful one, you will be mine.”

Calisto sobered a little and gave the gorilla a squinty look.

He held up his hands.  “Hey, I just read the cards, I don’t write them.”

Calisto grabbed the card as Ariadne made a pathetic lunge for it.

“Who’s Rick?” she asked.

“No one,” hissed Ariadne, pushing the gorilla out the door, ignoring his hints about wanting a tip.

“Have you got a boyfriend?” teased her ungrateful daughter.

“No!”

Ariadne managed to snatch the card and reread the words.  It wasn’t the greatest poetry she had ever read, but dang it if it wasn’t the sweetest gesture any male had ever made for her.

You will be mine
.  The words sent a shiver down her spine.  So possessive, reminding her of when he had wrapped his arms around her, refusing to let go, inhaling her scent, covering her in his own deep, masculine, spicy scent.

She glanced around at the flowers.  Yes, yellow was her favorite color, and she was perhaps the oddest woman on earth in that carnations were her favorite flower.

They had such a bad rep she just felt sorry for them.  But how could he have possibly known that?

The spell
came the inner taunt.

She’d asked for the perfect guy, and the spell was influencing him to be that guy.  That deflated her a little bit.  He only sent the flowers because she spelled him into doing it.

Crud
.

Still, wasn’t it nice to feel a little loved, even if it wasn’t entirely real?  And that hug earlier, why that was enough to give her happy dreams for a six months.

It wasn’t all bad, was it?

*

Rick smiled benignly at the scowling woman in front of him.  His lion prowled impatiently, but the man soothed the beast.

Patience, not long now
.

His lion wasn’t so sure and perhaps considered that he should hunt Ariadne down before she got it into her head to try and run.  Not that he wouldn’t enjoy a little chase.  His lion virtually purred at the prospect.

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.  He had an urge to be with her, to touch her every second of every day.

His suit strained slightly as his chest inflated in excitement.  He didn’t spend lots on clothes, but his suits were handmade.  He couldn’t find anything to fit him off the rack.  They never allowed for his huge chest, and there certainly wasn’t enough room in the crotch area.  Not that he was proud of that… okay, he was a little proud of that.

He smoothed down his tie and practiced his smile on the dragon lady.  Not a real dragon but she might as well have been given the fiery looks she was directing at him, perhaps she might have been pretty if she wasn’t filled with so much fury.

But not as pretty as the female he’d set his sights on.  Long pale brown hair, soft green eyes, pink cheeks and a sinfully curvy body – he let out a rumbling growl before he could stop himself.

Dragon lady wasn’t impressed.  Nor was his lion.

There had been far too little action for the beast’s liking.  He was still a little fuzzy on the details, but one minute he was enjoying poker night and the next he was with the most perfect and awesome woman in the world.  Then for some reason his so called friends pulled him away and started doing inane tests on him, claiming he was enchanted.

They were
nuts
.

They hadn’t wanted to leave him alone.  Thankfully even Wayne drew the line at watching him pee, and Rick had managed to swipe the gator’s phone and placed a call to his local florist to fill her house with flowers.  The florist tried her best to talk him out of his choice, but he wouldn’t listen.  He didn’t know why, but yellow chrysanthemums just seemed right.  He was sure she would like them.

Thankfully, he’d been set free that morning, and he’d told them he was taking the week off.  They agreed he needed it to shake off the effects of the spell.

Humph – they had no idea what they were talking about.

He was deemed not dangerous at least.  And he wasn’t – unless the danger was to his lovely baker’s heart.

Rick scented her – like sweet cinnamon rolls dripping in cream cheese frosting - before he heard her sigh – of wonderment at his presence no doubt.

“What on earth are you doing here?” she asked as she appeared next the dragon.

“I’m here to see you, of course.”  And hopefully, get another cupcake.

He flashed her his panty-dropping smile – perfect white teeth with just a hint of the predatory beast within.  Her look of dismay faltered as she gulped and her heart beat fluttered.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said with reluctance.

The dragon snorted in agreement.

Rick placed a hand on his chest.  “I followed my heart.”

Another snort from the dragon, but his little witchy baker let out a whimper.  He was corny through and through, yet he had the charm and looks to pull it off.  It often worked to his advantage.  Having a shifter act like a gentleman was a nice surprise for most of the women he had dated.

“You’ve said hello, you can go now,” snapped the dragon lady.

“Marlene,” admonished Ariadne, “there’s no need to be rude.”  She bit her lip.  “But really, you should go.  You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the spell.”

He harrumphed as his lion bristled.  He reached out and snagged one of her small, slim hands.  “I am not bespelled.  Have dinner with me?” he purred, raising the lovely appendage to his lips.

His lips twitched in a smirk as her cheeks bloomed pink and her desire surged.  Not even the dragon’s mutterings could ruin the moment.

If he weren’t such a gentlemen, he was sure he could seduce Ariadne on the spot.  He could smell the honey of her arousal, and he had an urge to drop to the ground, rip off her skirt and just lick…  But he was a gentleman, and his little witch was, for the moment, reluctant. 
The licking could wait.

“It’s nine in the morning,” she mumbled, stumbling over her words.

She could barely think straight around him.  He enjoyed that – showed she was just as affected by him as he was by her.

“Tonight, or perhaps I can’t wait.  Have lunch with me.”

Ariadne smiled before frowning.  “I can’t leave the bakery.”

“Yes, some of us have to work for a living,” sneered the dragon.  Or Marlene as she perhaps preferred to be known.

“As do I.  I’m a doctor.  Although I have taken the day off to deal with more important matters.”  He raised an eyebrow at her that said – you.

“Oh, you’re perfect,” whispered Ariadne to herself.

He pretended he hadn’t heard, but his lion preened.  “Can’t you get away for half an hour?”

“I wish,” she breathed and then ducked her eyes.  “But my other employee, Jay, just quit.”

Marlene shrugged.  “Oh dear,” she said, unconvincingly.

“We’ll be shorthanded all day as it is.”

Rick looked around at the small bakery.  It was bright and cheery and perfectly reflected his little witch.  He traced his thumb over the back of her hand.  “What if I bought all your stock?”

She rolled her eyes.  “Sure.”

“I’m serious.”

“I think it would be a waste of money and cakes, and my regulars would lynch me.”

“Hmmm.  What if I helped you in the shop?”

“You can’t,” blurted Marlene, looking slightly panicked.

“I’m no baker, but I’m sure I can serve customers and wash dishes.”

“You don’t want to spend your day doing that,” said Ariadne doubtfully.

“There’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be.”

She hesitated, and he knew he had her.  His lion licked his fangs in triumph.

“You can’t be serious!” howled Marlene.

“Well, it’s your funeral,” said Ariadne, her eyes sparkling.  “Just remember, though, step out of line and I will get the newspaper.”

He grinned.

*

Ariadne tried not to spend too much time peeking at her handsome helper lion – particularly after she burned two batches of cupcakes beyond salvation, but really, she was only human, and he was mouth-wateringly gorgeous.

Yes, many her customers seemed to agree.  Or at least the
female
ones.  Women who would normally come in and pick up a cookie and then leave, stayed, lingering over a cup of coffee while trying to catch the lion’s eyes.

Grrr
.

If she were a more competent witch, she’d turn them into ferrets.  She had to settle for making their coffees turn prematurely cold.  Yes, apart from her accidental spell to attract the lion, cooling liquid was about the best she could do on her own.  It barely deserved a maniacal laugh, although she tried one anyway, only to be told by Rick that she had a beautiful laugh.  She then snorted, and he tweaked her nose.

Oh, his attention could become addictive.  Darn it, if only he were here because he wanted to be and not because of some dumb spell.  Though, he was a much better worker than Jay.  And he did fill out that pink apron exceedingly well; the frilliness didn’t detract one iota from his masculine perfection.