“It’s impossible to break,” Monroe said.
“I know,” Cece said.
“Okay. Show me the barrier spell you’ve found,” Monroe said.
Cece returned to the bed and picked up the book. “It’s this one here. I want something that will allow me to get in and out of bed without needing to do an entry spell each time, but that’s strong enough to keep the plants from busting through it and carrying me to Briggs’s room.”
A small grin crossed Monroe’s face. “They really do that?”
“They do,” Cece grimaced. “It’s embarrassing how little control I have over my magic when I’m sleeping.”
“It happens to a lot of witches. Plus, the lure of a conduit is incredibly powerful to your magic,” Monroe said. “Why don’t one of you just lock your bedroom door?”
“Because I don’t want anything slowing me down if Cece needs me,” Briggs said.
“Makes sense,” Monroe said, taking the spell book from Cece. “Okay, let’s see what we can do.”
CHAPTER 28
Cece grabbed one of the blankets on the couch and draped it over her lap. She studied the vibrator sitting beside her on the cushion, her cheeks flushing hot.
After Monroe had performed the barrier spell, she and Briggs had a quick dinner, and then she went upstairs to have a hot bath. Partly to warm up and partly because she needed some alone time to decompress. It wasn’t as relaxing as she’d hoped. Her conversation with her grandfather played on repeat through her head, and as much as she knew it probably wasn’t true, she couldn’t help but hope that he was right.
Maybe it wasn’t her father’s family trying to kill her. Not that it sounded like her grandmother and uncle wanted much to do with her, but it would be nice to have a relationship with Werner. And maybe with time, his wife and son would want to meet her too.
She sighed, resting her head on the back of the couch and staring up at the ceiling as a burning log popped loudly in the fireplace. She needed to keep her head out of the clouds, as her Aunt Sylvia would say, and remember that, as nice as Werner seemed to be, she really knew nothing about him. She’d always been a bit on the naive side, and without her Aunt Sylvia or Elora here to look out for her, it was nice to have Briggs on her side. Even if he was a little over the top about keeping her safe.
Her gaze fell to the vibrator again. She had no idea if Briggs was still into watching her or not, but that hadn’t stopped her from bringing it downstairs after her bath. She could hear Briggs in the kitchen when she came down the stairs, his low voice a comfort as he spoke to someone on the phone.
Despite what ultimately had been a long and strange day, she couldn’t get the sound of Briggs’s voice out of her head, the heated way he’d looked at her when he said he wanted to watch her masturbate. Even now, just remembering that moment in his truck brought heat to her belly and wetness to her core. God, she wanted him so much.
Her magic was spiking in her veins, and she took a deep breath as the plants on the bookshelf made a rustling sound and the vines grew a little longer.
“You control the magic, Cece,” she murmured to herself.
She heard Briggs’s footsteps in the hallway, and her nerves immediately overshadowed her lust. She shoved the vibrator under the blanket and plastered a smile on her face when Briggs joined her in the living room.
“Hi there!”
Shit, her voice was too loud.
Briggs stared at her before inhaling. “Why are you nervous?”
“I’m not,” she said.
He just gave her a look before dropping onto the sectional beside her. He left less room than he normally did, his thigh was nearly touching hers, and a fresh beat of lust rocketed through her body. He wore navy sweatpants and a thin t-shirt that clung to his chest.
“Sorry, I was on the phone with my sister,” he said.
“You don’t have to apologize for that.”
“Technically, I’m working,” he said.
She frowned. “You can still talk to your family. You don’t think that upsets me, do you?”
“I don’t want you to think you’re not a priority. In the past, I’ve been accused of putting my family first over everything and… everyone.”
“Family is important,” she said. “And I’m not a person who needs to be the center of attention.”
