“That’s not what I’m doing!” she growled before closing her eyes and taking another deep breath. “I didn’t come here to fight, okay?”
“Then why are you here?”
She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Because I still love you, BB. I want us to be together again.”
Shock rolled over him. “Are you serious? It is over between us, Lucille. I am no longer in love with you. I want you to leave me alone.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do,” he said. “For fuck’s sake, Lucille, my mate is -”
“Not here,” Lucille said. “I know she’s at your sister’s house tonight. We have the house to ourselves. Let me show you what you’ve been missing.”
She untied her jacket with a flourish and let it slide down her arms to pool at her feet. Briggs’s jaw dropped, and he stared in wide-eyed disbelief as his bear growled in annoyance.
“You like what you see,” Lucille said with an infuriating smile. “I bought this just for you, BB.”
She wore a bright red lace teddy, cut high on the thighs and with a deep V-neck that showed off her cleavage. She took another step toward him, growling softly. “Come upstairs with me, BB. No one needs to know what happens tonight but you and me, right? Come upstairs and -”
“Well, hello there.” Cece’s voice floated down the stairs, and Briggs’s bear growled happily as Briggs wondered what Lucille would look like when Cece finished with her. She’d shown major improvements in controlling her magic over the last two weeks, but she was topped up from their fucking earlier in the day, and his little mate could have a temper.
Lucille’s bear chuffed in surprise, and he almost grinned at the shock on her face when Cece joined them and slipped her arm around his waist. He put his arm around her, drawing her up against him as her magic hummed in his veins.
Cece looked Lucille up and down before smiling at Briggs. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, honey?”
“Cece, this is Lucille. Lucille, this is my mate, Cece.”
“Nice to meet you, Lucille,” Cece said. “That’s a cute outfit you’re wearing.”
“Thanks.” Lucille’s normally confident voice was faint and, to Briggs’s surprise, he could even scent a hint of embarrassment on her.
Laughter and just a tinge of mocking in her voice, Cece said, “Would you like to join us for a drink? I’m sure you and Briggs would like to get caught up.”
Briggs could practically see Lucille’s temper snap. Her voice a low growl, she said, “Don’t be so foolish. I know Briggs has told you who I am and what I mean to him, human.”
Her voice turned sweet as syrup, and with pure innocence on her face, Cece said, “I’m sorry, I don’t. Briggs has never mentioned a Lucille to me.”
A growl of shock erupted from Lucille, and her gaze swung to Briggs. “You didn’t… you haven’t told her about me?”
“Are you a friend from high school?” Cece asked. “Or did you work with him at the logging company?”
Briggs could barely keep it together. He’d expected an all-out war and, instead, with an acting skill that could have won her an Oscar, Cece had completely disarmed Lucille.
He could smell Lucille’s confusion, and her gaze kept swinging from him to Cece as she tried to decide if what Cece was saying was true. Finally, with a soft growl, she bent and grabbed her coat. She yanked it on, tying it shut with quick and angry movements before stomping toward the door.
As she yanked it open, Cece called, “So nice to meet you, Lucille!”
The door slammed shut, and they stood in silence for a moment before Cece said, “Was that too much? It was too much, wasn’t it?”
He burst into laughter. “Baby, that was fucking brilliant.”
She grinned and did a little curtsy. “Thank you. Not to brag, but I did play villager number four in a high school play and absolutely killed the one line I had. So, you know, acting is in my blood.”
He laughed harder, and she smiled up at him before kissing his chest. “So, is this something that will happen a lot? Lucille dropping by and wearing very little clothing?”
“Christ, I hope not,” he said. “I’ll change the door code tomorrow.”
“Perfect,” she said.
