Hexing the Alpha (Hex My Heart, #1) (2 page)

She measured three servings of the love potion into the container, then sealed the bottle. She placed the canister on the table by the front door and turned to the mirror to straighten out her hair from the messy bun she sported, planning her next move... delivery and payment.

T
en minutes later Honor joined her minimal staff downstairs, ready to kick off another rowdy Saturday with the first of the night’s drinkers already swiging back one form of elixir or another to fight the harsh cold.

“Hey, Ryan, pour a pitcher for table three and let’s tap another keg.”

“You got it, boss.”

Humans loved visiting The Matchstick for a fix of hard liquor and beer like the weres loved their witch-brewed New England moonshine. She made a mental note to order in new stock for the coming holidays and brew up a few more batches of her personal concoction.

Honor left the instructions with her bartender and walked over to a quiet corner out of earshot of everyone.

From memory she dialed her client, who picked up after two rings.

“Tell me you have it ready, Honor,” answered a nervous voice through the earpiece.

Honor’s heart swelled for the woman on the other end. She was so desperate for love she’d try anything. It’s why she’d agreed to help out with the love potion. If only her sisters would see it her way, she could have delivered and collected days ago.

Honor traced the soft edges of a napkin, her back to the crowd forming around the bar. “Hey, Marabelle. The potion is ready. When would you like to meet for delivery?”

“Right now if you can. I don’t want to waste another minute if you know what I mean.”

Honor rolled her eyes and smothered a chuckle at her client’s innuendo. She hoped the poor man on the other end of the spell could handle the lust-filled night Marabelle had in mind for them.

“The sooner the better. How about in an hour? My place? Yours? A la clandestine, I presume?” she added in a low whisper. Humans understood how her Council’s law worked, which helped to explain why the forbidden brew came with a hefty price tag.

Before she could respond, Honor’s magick shimmered the length of her spine and instinct stiffened her muscles. “Your place works fine. See you then, Marabelle.”

Snapping her phone closed, she whirled on her heel, expecting to find one of her sisters. Instead, chiseled muscles defined by outdoor labor and encased in black cotton came into view. She traced a path first down to see solid thighs covered in the sexiest fucking black jeans she’d ever seen on a man and up to find a gorgeous set of dark blue eyes staring down at her.

“Getting into trouble again?” he drawled, his rough baritone doing wicked things to her cool composure.

That was on the outside. On the inside two emotions warred for control. Fear of what he might have overheard with his heightened hearing. And nerve-searing, thigh-clenching lust.

Lust was winning by a mile.

He anchored his hands on two wooden chairs on either side of him and breathed in deeply then released on a long sigh. “Honor.”

Why did he have to say her name as if he’d just made love with her?

Jake—the werewolf shifter that starred in all her fantasies— stood so close she could reach out and touch any part of her fantasy she wished.

He must have sensed the turn her dirty mind had taken because his pupils dilated and the rims of his irises brightened with an otherworldly glow in a color she could only describe as a mixture of sapphire with shards of ruby. The contrast just as striking as the man. She’d seen his eyes like that once before, but hadn’t gotten to ask what it meant.

“Why the two colors again?”

“What?” He straightened, letting his hands fall to his side.

It was just like her to blurt whatever decided to stomp through her mind before she had a chance to filter her thoughts. Her question caused his brows to pinch together and he took a half step back from her.

“Your eyes. Why are they glowing two colors? They’re beautiful.”

She inched closer, forcing him to bump into a neighboring patron’s table. He threw out a hand to steady it before he answered. “It’s nothing. Just a little tired.”

She reached to settle her calming touch on his shoulder, but he jerked back before she could make contact.

Ouch. She lowered her hand to her side and swallowed the hurt.

Fine. She knew lines when she crossed them and she had no intentions of crossing any more lines with the alpha.

Honor went to sidestep the man and leave him to his corner before she embarrassed herself anymore, but was brought up short with his hand over hers.

With a sigh, she angled her head to the side and asked, “What can I get you this evening, Mr. Monroe?” Her eyes trained on the man who oozed her brand of sexiness and brought Color Me Bad’s
I Wanna Sex You Up
to mind on constant replay in her head. She quickly looked away, scanning her bar instead.

“Look at me, Honor.” He leaned in, taking up all the space in front of her, the tip of his nose almost touching hers, demanding her attention. Her heart tripped along, quickening her breath.

Standing with her phone in one hand, her other in his, she did as he asked.

“I’m sorry.” He ran his free hand through his tousled shoulder-length hair in frustration. “It’s hard to explain.” His gaze roamed over the half-filled bar before returning to meet hers. “But Honor,” his voice pitched low as though he only wanted her to hear what he was about to say and his dual-toned gaze locked on hers. “Never call me Mr. Monroe again unless you want me to do unspeakable things to you that would leave you blushing come morning.”

Was that a promise or a threat? Both sounded exciting. Before he released her hand, he traced his fingertips along the tender flesh of her palm.

A rush of sassy comebacks flitted across her mind, but she swallowed them back and settled with the truth. “We tried that, remember?”

Still, temptation rode her hard to accept the challenge he’d dangled like bait between them. A craving unlike any she’d felt before consumed her and all she could think about was pressing her lips to his. And that was just for starters.

She inhaled the warm scent of a male who preferred the outdoors to city life. Pine and soap with a hint of aftershave that stroked a woman’s libido to smoldering. Flames blasted her core and rocked her to the verge of blowing her stopper. Whoa. What the hell?

Honor’s cheeks flushed along with everything else. The potion. It had to be. But she’d only swallowed a drop. Tonight she’d be having a little personal time with her new vibrator and would remember his intoxicating smell and how good it felt to be this close to him.

She shifted her weight and he narrowed his eyes at her before he answered, “It’s complicated.”

A small grin teased the corners of her lips. Typical male answer.

Shaking off the sweeping sensations that filled her body, Honor answered in a silky tone, “No worries. Really.” She paused for all of three full seconds before letting his name roll off her tongue like fine bubbly champagne over chocolate-dipped strawberries. “Mr. Monroe.”

Oh, look. Challenge accepted after all.

His eyes intensified from the low jewel-tinged glow to full-on, heart-stopping, melt your panties. A low rumble in his chest told her she was skating on a fine line and it edged her closer still. Her heart thundered in her ears, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Besides...” Honor settled an open palm on his chest and rose to her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “I think you’re all talk, wolfie.”

She trailed her lips over the shell of his ear and pushed a tiny bit closer until her nipples pressed against hard muscle. Thick arms wrapped around her and she melted into his body much the same way the last time he held her this close.

Tingles of magick surged through their connection and knotted in a bundle of nerves between her legs. Oh, goddess it felt so good she could come from the simplest of sensations he stirred in her.

He fisted a hand in her hair and angled her lips a whisper away from his. His nostrils flared and the muscle in his jaw ticked in time with her heartbeat. Soft twangs of music and the rumble of Sweet Briar Hollow’s citizens faded away until there was only Jake and her, all remnants of their last encounter dashed away, her mind focused on the now. She licked her lips and his hungry gaze locked on her mouth.

The sapphire of his eyes gave way to ruby red and his chest vibrated with a deep growl that raced through their connected bodies. Holy goddess. Her nipples pebbled against the soft confines of her bra and her core tightened with a throbbing need for release. Did all alphas have that power? To make their women come with just a touch and a heated look?

She clenched her thighs against the illicit delight.

Slowly, he released his grip on her hair and set her back from him. Was that regret she saw in his eyes?

“Sorry, Honor.” Warring emotions flashed across his face until he settled on stoic and closed off. “It... it just can’t happen.” His forced words stung, but like hell she’d let him see how deep his rejection hurt.
Fool me once, shame on you
... She shook her head. Did it say glutton for punishment on her forehead or something?

Honor shoved from his embrace and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. With a weak smile and a lofty shrug she hoped said she didn’t give two shakes of a witch’s ass, she countered in a tight voice, “Yeah, got it.”

He sure the heck had a funny way of showing what he
didn’t
want with her. Even with the two feet of air separating them her body still tingled from the heat he radiated. How long would he deny the attraction between them before things turned combustible? She’d wanted him from the first day she stepped foot in this town three years ago. She thought he wanted her too.

She glanced up. This close, those eyes, that body. She so needed to get laid.

Her stomach quivered. He slowly inhaled and raked his gaze over her body starting at the apex of her thighs, then along her abdomen only to pause on her breasts. Could he see her pebbled nipples through the thin material of her shirt?

Her breasts grew heavy and she pinched her thighs together to relieve the building pressure. One touch and she would do damn near anything for him. Her lascivious need for the alpha already had her libido inflamed, but something kept him beyond her reach. But what? She wished he’d talk to her—they were friends after all—but she knew not to push and she sure wouldn’t beg.

She scanned her bar to make sure no one watched then rested her hands on her hips. He just stood there, his chest rising and falling in even breaths, but he was anything but relaxed. The muscles in his jaw flexed and his shoulders grew rigid. The only thing that gave away his tightly reined desires was the glow of his intense eyes when she looked into them.

Oh, good gracious. So many questions filled her mind, ones he probably had no desire to answer, and how could she ask why he held back and not sound desperate for him? Weak?

If he was going to be nothing more than a tease she had more important things to do. Like deliver her love potion and keep her ass housed for at least another month. Her vibrator and vivid imagination did just fine in taking care of her
other
needs, thank you very much. Good thing she’d just restocked her battery supply. A hot bubble bath, a little Moon Lust, and her handheld boyfriend would help her relax after the night she was having.

Without a word she turned on her heel and threw a look over her shoulder at the growling man who stood tracking her progress across the bar. He wasn’t the only one that could be a tease. With each step Honor added a little more sexiness to the dip and sway of her hips.

She loved playing with the sexy beast, but sometimes the confounding man brought on more frustration than anything. The people of Sweet Briar respected him, called him a fair leader, but she knew more about him than most. How he’d saved his younger brother from elimination during a pack war that killed their father when they were just pups themselves. One night over beers he’d shared a heart-wrenching story of how the only way he could save his brother was to take on the challenging alpha. A fight to the death he thought for sure would put him in the grave beside his father. According to Jake, it was only luck and a hell of a lot of pure hatred that had gotten him through it. She thanked the goddess every time she thought about it that he made it out and was now alpha of his pack.

She elbowed past a few patrons huddled around the bar and signaled her only waiter over. It looked as if the cold of the winter night was bringing in a few more paying drinkers looking to stay warm.

“Amber, do me a favor. Dash upstairs and grab another canister of Moon Lust for me. You should see it as soon as you walk in the door.” Loud shouting and a table smashing cut into her words. “Take it to Jake at table five for me?”

She knew when a friend needed something a little bit stronger than what came in a beer bottle. Moon Lust would go a long way in settling any tension between her and Jake.

It also had a way of stirring some trouble with the younger crowd. She turned, cracked her knuckles and called on her magick.

I
t wouldn’t be a Saturday night in Sweet Briar Hollow without a few brawls between the usually happy-go-lucky patrons. Honor relished the feel of her magick as it accumulated in her palms, the steady glow of midnight blue ready to do her bidding.

She strode across the wooden floor and planted herself in the middle of the straight up fistfight between a group of young pups according to shifter standards. Patrons scrambled to the far sides of the room. Tables and chairs abandoned all but for a group of humans who she sensed liked a little trouble. “It’s a little early in the evening, don’t you think? And who the hell is going to pay for all this?” Broken pieces of wood dotted the floor.

The human regulars that had stayed put swiveled and watched the show, ready to jump in for a little action. Not on her watch. She couldn’t afford any more damaged property. Many of the humans were lumberjacks with arms the size of trees and just as rowdy and boisterous as the shifters themselves. “So, gentlemen, I’ll give you two choices.” Five sets of shifter eyes turned her way. She let her energy build another notch and swirl around her outstretched hands. “Chuck up the funds and clean up. Or, I get to have some fun.” And by fun she meant release enough juice they’d wished a stun gun would have been used on them instead. “You pick.”