Page 78 of Not Your Ex's Hexes
Olive chuckled, calling her out on her bullshit response. “Love you, too.”
A heavy knock thumped on her front door.
“Tell Damian I said helloooo…” Olive waggled her eyebrows suggestively and shut down the call.
The knock landed again.
She couldn’t put it off any longer. Even though the rush of Magic to all her hot spots told her who was on the other side of the door, Rose glanced through the peephole out of habit.
Damian was dressed as he had been the night with the Gryndors.His butter-soft jeans hung off his trim waist, and the black leather jacket—which she’d come to realize was his favorite—hung open, revealing the powder-blue Henley beneath. The only difference was that his hair, usually hanging loose by his jaw, had been pulled into a low nubbin of a tail, away from his eyes and emphasizing his sculpted cheekbones.
“You opening the door, little witch, or do you plan on staring at me all night in admiration from the other side?” Damian joked, his gorgeous lips twitching.
She yanked the door open with a flourish, and then it was his turn to ogle. Lust darkened his gaze as he ran it from tip to toe, and when he met her back in the middle, her Magic—not to mention her body—really liked what she saw.
“You were saying something about admiration, doc?” Rose teased.
“Hunting rule number two: blend in until it becomes impossible, or unnecessary.”
“Are you saying I’ll stick out in a crowd or blend in too well? I can go change, but it might take a while…”
Damian snorted. “Who the fuck am I kidding? It doesn’t matter what you wear or where you go. You’ll always stand out from others.”
She smiled. “That’s actually sweet.”
“It’s not sweet. It’s exhibit A of why bounty hunting isn’t for you.” He grumbled, almost sullen.
Smirking, she grabbed her keys and stepped into the hall before giving his chest an affectionate pat. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not that easily swayed.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
They headed downstairs where Rose wasn’t surprised to find Damian’s motorcycle parked along the curb. This time, two helmets hung from the bars, and she picked one just as she heard her name.
Her neighbor, Mrs. Powers, rolled her wired grocery cart, her feisty Chihuahua, Coco, sitting in the basket. As she approached,the older woman gave Damian an assessing once-over. “I wasn’t so sure that was you at first, dear.”
Rose’s cheeks flushed. “It’s me. Do you need help getting your groceries upstairs?”
“No, no, but thanks for the offer. I was hoping I’d run into you though, to remind you about that night out we talked about. It’s this Friday if you’re still interested.” The older woman’s gaze flickered to Damian patiently waiting astride his bike. “But you might have other plans on a weekend night, and I can’t say that I’d blame you for keeping them.”
“I wouldn’t miss a night out with you for the world, Mrs. P. Count me in.”
Mrs. Powers beamed. “You’re sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Great! Guess I’ll see you there. You remember how to get there, right?”
“Sure do.”
With a smile on her face, her neighbor shuffled her way toward their building, shooting a final look back toward her—and flashing a sly wink—before the door shut behind her.
Rose turned toward Damian, and found him with a near-matching smirk, his eyebrows raised. “What?”
“Night out with the neighbor lady?” Damian chuckled as she climbed onto the motorcycle behind him. “Seems like it could be too much fun for a witch to handle. Can you afford to be brought in by the police again?”
“Go ahead and joke, but I have a lot of fun when I hang out with Mrs. Powers. Don’t let that sweet old lady exterior fool you. She aided and abetted Vi’s Great Fire Escape escape. The lady has moves.”
“Do I even want to know?”
