style though, with cabinets that look like furniture, a big oak range hood, and gold hardware.
“This is beautiful.”
“Thanks.” He’s watching me instead of looking at his kitchen. It makes me tingle everywhere. He opens an oak door. “I added this powder room down here too. Want to see upstairs?”
Heat expands inside me. “Of course.”
He leads me up that grand staircase. “There are four bedrooms up here. Three of them are empty.” We peer into them. He shows me the big bathroom, which is atrocious—fake wood paneling on the bottom half of the walls, an ugly blue color above, and beige vinyl tile floors. “Eeek. Someone redid this.”
“Yeah.” He grimaces. “Back in the seventies, I think. The good news is the original marble tiles are under the vinyl.”
“Why would they put vinyl over it?”
“It’s a mystery. I often ask myself that when we’re renovating houses. Some of the things people do are weird. And this is the main bedroom.” He walks in. It’s at the front of the house so it has four narrow windows in the area I think of as a turret. “I did redecorate this room and the bathroom. I couldn’t handle the red paint on the walls.”
Cheddar jumps onto the big bed using a strategically placed ottoman, and lays down, smiling at us. I grin.
The new wall color, a soft taupe, is calm and understated. The huge bed is a focal point, with a tufted upholstered headboard and snow-white linens. There’s not much more than that in the room. An open door gives me a peek into a big closet.
“Still decorating work to do,” Trace says. “But it’s livable.”
“It’s lovely.” I walk over and sit on the bed, stroking my hand along Cheddar’s back. “I like your house. So many possibilities.”
“There’s a full basement too. I didn’t show you because it’s just full of boxes right now, but it could be another living area.” He sits beside me, slides his hand over my cheek, and kisses me.
My mouth opens to him instinctively. I can’t even describe the feelings his kisses give me—the belly-flipping lust, yes, the heat, the ache, the swelling of my breasts—but also a spinny, drugged feeling, a sense of rightness and belonging. I lean into him, tilting my head, gripping his thigh as our lips and tongues and teeth play and nibble and tease.
He eases me down to my back, leaning over me to devour my mouth, one hand finding my breast, cuddling it in his palm. I arch my back and moan against his lips. “I’ve been thinking about this,” I whisper. “For days.”
“Me too. Hang on.” He lifts his head and nudges Cheddar. “Down, Cheddar.”
With her head hanging, she jumps off the bed. Aw. “Good girl,” I murmur.
Trace skates his hand down to my hip and grips it as his mouth slides over my cheek. “I’ve been thinking about this too. I have so much fun with you.” His teeth graze my jaw. “And also I want to fuck you until you can’t walk.”
A lightning bolt of heat flashes through me. I feel the same about him. Just talking to him is so much fun. Walking in the park. Cleaning up litter. And this… this is more than fun. It’s… everything.
I’m falling in love with this man.
I turn in to him and hook my leg over his. “Do that. Please.”
18
Trace
I don’t hear about Romy’s interview in front of the Board of Elders from her… I hear it from a bunch of people. My phone blows up Friday morning with texts from various people in the coven with connections to the board. Everyone knows I’ve been working with Romy to prepare her for her WED.
What the hell are you teaching that witch?
She’s pissed off the BoE, she’s toast.
Ziggy thinks she’s, and I’m quoting, radical and unmanageable.
What the fuck? What happened? What did they ask her? What did she do?
Then Joe appears in my office door. His face wears a confused expression. “Trace. What happened at the interview yesterday?”
“I have no idea.” I hold up my phone. “But apparently something happened.”
He shakes his head. “Have you talked to Romy?”
“No. I’ll call her. Or do you want to?” Unease shifts in my gut. Joe has no idea I’m banging his daughter.
“You call her. I’ll be in my office.” He disappears.
I sigh and hit Call on my phone.
It rings a few times. Maybe she’s in a meeting or something. Then she answers, and I can tell from the tone of her voice she was considering letting