Chapter Seventeen

I couldn’t deny feeling incredibly awkward after shutting the door to my son’s room. Ric and I were finally alone, and though he was in his tall, tanned, and gorgeous human form, he could’ve been twenty feet tall with his larger-than-life presence. There was no mistaking the hunger in his eyes that shifted to feline slits as he looked down at me. Talk about being spellcast. His heady pheromones had my libido in such a tailspin, I wanted nothing more than for him to take me to his bed and pound me so hard, I wouldn’t be able to sit without wincing for a week. But then I reminded myself I was a mom and a Sagredo, an Italian noblewoman, which meant I had to keep it classy. So I’d settle for not being able to sit for a few days.

“I meant what I said,” he said on a low purr while twisting a lock of my wet hair around his finger. “That you can stay forever.”

I bit my lip, my skin flushing when his fingertips brushed my neck. “I know.”

He hovered protectively over me, backing me against the wall. “You’re worried things are moving too fast?”

Goddess, I wanted to melt into a pool of lust when he pinned me with that predatory stare. “Aren’t you?”

“You’re welcome to stay in a guest room if you think we need a break from each other, but I’m the last living sphinx.” His voice dropped to a low rumble that had my uterus doing backflips. “It’s my duty to protect Des.”

I blinked at him, a lightbulb of understanding flaring in my mind. Goddess, how did he know? I hadn’t told him. “Des?”

He flattened his palms on either side of my head, trapping me against the wall. “You don’t need to pretend around me. I know he’s the phoenix.”

“W-what?”

“Why else would you take him to Rome instead of leaving him with his father? You’re afraid the succubi are after him. And why didn’t you leave him behind when you broke into the Tribunal? Because you needed him to teleport you in.”

Well, damn. It’s not that I didn’t want to trust Ric with my son’s secret. After my aunt lied to me, I wasn’t sure who I could trust anymore. “That’s not the only reason.”

“No.” He flashed a subtle smile. “You keep him close to you because you’re a good mother.”

He’d no idea what those words meant to me. “Thank you. The succubi think I’m the phoenix.”

My eyelids fluttered when he dragged calloused knuckles down the side of my face. “And we’ll continue to let them think that. As much as I don’t want them coming after you, we need to keep him safe.”

He wanted to keep my son safe? Goddess, this man was too perfect to be real. Surely, he had to have had flaws. Then I thought about the way he almost bit off my hand while devouring an entire bucket of popcorn and the fact that he lived in a haunted house. Okay, maybe he did have a few flaws. But he more than made up for his shortcomings by protecting my son and also by that thing he did with his tongue.

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything.” He motioned to the door across from Des’s. “That bedroom is open. It has a lovely balcony if that’s where you want to sleep.”

I averted my gaze when he pinned me with a hard stare. I could practically feel the longing pulsing off him. I bit my lip. “Where do you want me to sleep?”

“With me, obviously. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since our date.” He nuzzled my neck. “I think we were about to make love again before we were interrupted.”

“We were more than about to make love. You were already impaling me in the shower.” Then that stupid little troll ruined everything. I whispered a silent spell that Gus’s crotch would be infested with a thousand vampire fleas. I didn’t think the spell would work from so far away, but a girl could dream.

“I’d give anything to impale you again.”

I let out a hiss when that very large and very stiff bulge in his pants pressed into my hip. I released a shaky breath while accidentally on purpose grinding against him. “Then what are you waiting for?”

WE FELL ONTO RIC’S bed in a tangle of limbs, tearing at each other’s clothes.

His eyes lit up after he pulled off my borrowed sweatshirt, and he raked his fangs down my neck while cupping my bare breasts. “No bra, mi amor ?”

My veins turned to liquid iron. “Mm.” I angled my head to give him better access. “I busted one and my aunt fed the other to the dryads.”

I wasn’t prepared for his burst of laughter, his hands stilling on my breasts. “A dryad ate your bra?”

“You think that’s bad?” I couldn’t help but laugh, too. “Gnomes stole my vibrator.”

His smile was wicked incarnate. “I’ll buy you a dozen more bras and vibrators.”

Heat flushed my face as I leaned back against a pillow while tracing his strong jawline. “I have more bras and a vibrator at home.”

He waggled his brows. “I can’t wait to use it on you.”

I gaped at him. Was he serious? Colin had threatened to divorce me when he found my vibrator. He had sulked for weeks, saying our lovemaking must not be enough for me. He was right, of course, but the guilt trip was maddening. I’d had to hide my vibrator in my tampon box after that. And now my awesome new lover wanted to bring my vibrator into his bed?

I arched back with a groan when he feasted on my neck again while flicking my nipples with the pads of his thumbs. But as I blinked up at the darkened ceiling, I had a sudden uneasy feeling come over me, and I worried we weren’t alone. What if Ric’s ghost friends had broken out their ghost lube and were watching us right now?

I pressed against his shoulders, forcing him to release me. “Ric, I have a question.”

His brows creased. “What, mi amor ?”

I nodded toward the ceiling. “Are they watching?”

“Who?” he asked.

I gave him an annoyed look before speaking through a hiss. “Your hosts.”

“Oh.” His grin nearly stretched ear to ear. “They know not to come in when we’re making love.”

“Are you sure?”

“Very sure. That’s why they didn’t warn me about Gus until it was too late. They were afraid of interrupting.”

Oh. That made sense. Relief washed over me. “You’ve told them they’re allowed to interrupt in emergency situations?”

“Of course.” He brushed the hair out of my eyes, a loving gesture that nearly took my breath away.

I cupped the back of his neck, pulling him down until his lips grazed mine. He tasted of sweet wine and something feral that was all Ric, a musk that I swore was meant for me. His kisses drove me wild. Heck, everything about him turned my brain to mush and made me want to spread my thighs and let him have his way with me. I wondered again if he’d somehow spellcast me, for no man had ever made me feel this way before.

He broke the kiss far too soon, trailing kisses down my neck and then across my breasts. He stopped to savor one nipple, then the other, suckling while I writhed beneath him, sweat pooling on my brow, a hammer pounding in my heart.

When his mouth traveled lower, I thought I’d expire from need. I nearly flew off the bed when his tongue found that sweet spot and he lovingly lapped up my juices.

The pleasure was maddening. Absolutely maddening.

Then came the purr. Oh, Goddess! Why would this lion want to bring a vibrator into the bed, when his tongue vibrating against my sex was the most exquisite feeling imaginable?

I flexed my hips against him, digging my fingers into his thick hair while worrying, and then not giving a damn that he might suffocate himself when he buried his face in my liquid heat as he purred and purred.

Holy hex!

The orgasm that punched through me was like an out-of-body experience, as those vibrations poured through my soul, setting every nerve ending aglow.

Well, paint me with stripes and call me a zebra, for I had found nirvana through the mouth of a lion.

By the time I had floated back down to earth, he had pulled away to swish his mouth out with wine. I gladly drank a few gulps, giving him sultry eyes over the rim of the glass.

“I want you to ride me, mi amor ,” he purred in my ear as he took the wine from me. His eyes were molten fire as he laid down on the bed while pulling me on top of him.

I slid down him with a hiss, his lion-sized erection filling me completely.

I’d only made it halfway down when he latched onto my hips, his eyes heavy-lidded. “You don’t have to take all of me at once.”

I shook my head. “I want to.”

Liquid heat pooled between my thighs as I slid down to the root. And then I rode him, my breasts bouncing with the movement until he latched onto them while rubbing my nipples between calloused thumbs.

My head fell back with a groan as pleasure ratcheted up my spine with each thrust. Forget those other bras. His hands were my favorite bra now. When he began to move with me, his hips thrusting, I felt like a ragdoll ready to fall apart at the seams. He held me steady, latching onto my hip while slamming into my dripping sex, until, until...Ahh!

He let out a roar, stilling as he poured himself into me at the same time my orgasm transported me to a completely different dimension. I came so hard I feared my heart would beat out of my chest and fly away. I shuddered several times before collapsing on his chest. But my lion wasn’t finished with me. He rolled me over and made love to me again, our bodies fused together through flesh and fluids, sweat drenching our skin. Each time he brought me to that pinnacle, I knew I was in danger of never wanting him to let me go.

AFTER A WONDERFUL NIGHT of lovemaking, we snuggled in Ric’s bed, the fire’s heat warming our toes. I wore one of his big t-shirts, which fit me like a short nightgown. Though I should’ve been used to free balling by now, I was getting tired of my girls banging together like bowling pins and couldn’t wait to get my clothes and spare bras.

Ric had called on our ‘hosts’ by banging a medieval gong, and they’d brought refreshments, including leftover pastries from my shop and a cool pitcher of hibiscus, honey tea. It was probably the most delicious tea I’d ever tasted, and I knew it would become my new addiction. Hopefully, these hosts had a lot more flowers.

Despite the magic of the night, I was still thinking about retiring to that separate bedroom, at least for appearances. I didn’t want Des to find me in Ric’s bed come morning, mostly because I wasn’t ready for that conversation, but also because I didn’t want this relationship to move too fast. Setting a few boundaries and having my own space was a good start. I had no idea how long we’d need to stay at Ric’s place, probably until every last succubus was defeated. That could take weeks, or months, or even years. There was still so much I didn’t know about the succubi, and damn, I’d left Ric’s book in Rome. I kept thinking about what Signora Oscura had said, about her children finding her a new body. What children? How many more demons were there? And would they be able to resurrect her from hell? If so, did this mean we would be stuck in a never-ending cycle of being hunted by and fighting demons?

I heaved a shaky breath, doing my best to put the soul suckers from my mind. No use fretting about it now. After we rested and recovered, we would come up with a plan, one that would have to include my lying aunt and my grandmother, for I was certain they’d find us.

I snuggled against Ric’s warm chest, not ready to leave his bed just yet. “Thank you again for letting us stay here,” I said as I drew lazy circles over his swirling tattoos.

“Not a problem,” he purred, his fingertips tickling my bare arm. “Stay here as long as you like.” He stilled, then pulled back, looking into my eyes. “I never thanked you for testifying for me.”

I looked into his luminous eyes, feeling a tug at my heartstrings. “You’re not mad at me for going?”

He sat up while squeezing my hand. “I don’t want you to put your life in danger for me.”

“We were already in danger,” I said as I sat up beside him, looking into his eyes which had shifted from gold to a deep brown. “I think a succubus was after me the night of our date.”

His eyes bulged. “What?”

“A demon tried to break into my neighbor’s condo, but I think they meant to come to mine. My neighbor had it on her camera. I could see its red eyes.”

He let out a deep, predatory rumble that sent a chill down my spine while simultaneously waking up my lady parts. “Do you have access to her camera footage?”

I frowned, wishing now I’d asked her to text me a screenshot. “I don’t.”

His eyes narrowed as those strange feline pheromones hit me like a brick to the head. “Do you have a camera on your house?”

“I do, but I didn’t see much on my camera.”

He nodded toward my bag on the nightstand. “Do you mind if I look at your footage?”

I shrugged. “Sure.” I didn’t want to disappoint him, but I’d already watched the footage on the flight to Italy, and I hadn’t seen much of the demon whose hoodie had concealed its face. I grabbed my phone and opened up my camera app. I’d installed cameras outside my front and back doors after we’d first moved into the condo out of an abundance of caution, though Colin had joked that I was paranoid. I showed Ric how to use the app as I scrolled to the night of our date.

Ric backed up the time, watching as I pulled into the drive before getting ready for our date.

“It happened at night,” I said to him.

“Yeah, I know.” He watched the footage with a predatory gleam. “But sometimes they case the place during the day.”

A chill swept through me at the thought of the succubus there while I was at home.

“Ahh, there you are.” Ric smiled when I came back outside, moving triple time as he sped up the camera. “What are you throwing away?” He pointed to the ugly unicorn vomit glitter bag in my hand.

I rolled my eyes. “Some awful picture.”

We watched as I drove away. “Hang on. Who’s this?”

“That’s my neighbor, Gladys.” I watched with disinterest as the elderly lady came outside. She looked over both shoulders before walking straight for the dumpster. Then to my surprise and horror, she picked the vomit glitter bag out of the trash can.

Ric hit pause and looked at me. “Why is she picking your picture out of the trash?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. I knew Gladys was weird, but I had no idea she was a dumpster diver. “That was the hideous photograph my ex-husband’s new wife gave me.” No doubt she wanted to see what was in the bag. The annoying bitch had no life and was always in my business.

Ric leveled me with a look so intense, I felt like a gnome caught in a flashlight’s glare.

“So after Gladys took a present that this new wife meant for you”—he enunciated each word slowly—“the succubus tried to break into her house?”

“Yeah.” Fuuudge.

How could I have been so blind? All the signs were there. Felicity wasn’t a good cook. She pestered me for my secret recipe. She gave me a gift. She was always sucking on candies, but they could’ve been made from salt for all I knew.

“Merlin’s balls!” My hands flew to my face as I gaped at Ric. “Homewrecker Barbie is a succubus!”

The End.

Want to know what the gnomes really did with Luci’s vibrator? Read on for the bonus story, Bob’z Big Adventure.

BOB’z Big Adventure!

A Midlife Menace Short Story

Copyright ? 2024 by Tara West

Published by Shifting Sands Publishing

First edition, published December 2024

All rights reserved.

This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

Artwork by Tara West

Edits by Jade Taggart

THE GODDESS HAS GIFTED the nannies of the gnome tribe Fungi-Toes with the object of their desires, and this one doesn’t need batteries. But the bucks of the nest are unhappy, and they will stop at nothing to rid their nest of BOB, the purple menace. But when they discover a dryad living inside the wand, they’re tasked with a perilous quest to deliver it to the park of many trees. Are they brave and strong enough to deliver the dryad to safety while battling their nemeses, the dreaded feral cats?

From the Registry of Supernatural Creatures and Practical Witchcraft Guidebook

Gnomes defined

GNOMES – CONSIDERED vermin. Unseen creatures about six to eight inches tall with a lifespan of about eight years. The city gnomes dwell within the walls of homes and other buildings, surviving by stealing food and other necessities. They commonly steal or misplace material things from striga and humans, especially phones, keys, and glasses. Woodland gnomes live off the land and aren’t as prone to stealing. Their colonies range from hundreds to thousands. Most gnomes have little to no magic. Extermination methods include food poisoning, cheese traps, and fumigation.

How to Distract a Gnome

1. BEER

2. Cats

3. Cell phones

4. Cheese

5. Keys

6. Music

7. Personal massager (nannies only)

8. Videos of the Enchantress (bucks only)