Sassy Ever After: Kiss My Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) (13 page)

“Well, I guess we’re going to find out. Not that I’ll be the one to ask about the broom.”

“Nah, you need to ask about the boobs,” Ashe threw in with a giggle. She rose and picked up a diaper bag from the table near the front door. “I’m going to make sure there’s enough diapers and such in here before we head out. I’ll be just a minute.”

Boobs?
Now he was thoroughly confused, and slightly intrigued. Nevertheless, he wouldn’t be asking the woman about either, though he was happy to see that the idea of meeting a real witch didn’t seem to trouble Ashe.

Ten minutes later, she and Lilly came back into the room, both in different outfits. Ashe was in jeans and a dressy tank with a cream and pink rose design, while Lilly was in a light purple dress and little white socks.

“Okay, we’re all set,” she chirped. Her dark hair was hanging down in waves around her shoulders, her eyes warm, and a welcoming smile on her face.

“Are you sure you’re up to going to dinner?” he asked. “You’ve had a lot to digest today, and I don’t want you to feel rushed.”

“Nah, I’m good with weird. Did it freak me out at first? You bet. The more I thought about it though, the more I want to know. If you and I are going to give this whole thing a try, then I need to be able to be around this sort of thing. Not to mention this is Lilly’s heritage too. I don’t know the first thing about raising a wolf shifter,” she admitted. “What if I screw up?”

Luke strolled over to her, taking her shoulders in his hands and looking her straight in the eye. “You won’t screw anything up, Ashe. You’re a fantastic mother already, and I’ll be here to help you when her other side starts to come around. Don’t worry, everything will work out. You’ll see.”

Ashe set the diaper bag on the ground, causing his hands to slip from her arms, but when she stood, he wasn’t expecting her free arm to pull him in for a hug. He returned it, careful of Lilly who was still in her arms, and was going to give her a kiss on the cheek, when she turned her head and took his lips.

Just like that, his cock sprang to life, his whole being desperate to claim Ashe as his own. Her tongue was dancing with his, playing havoc on his good intentions, and his hand strayed from her back down to her shapely ass, giving it a squeeze.

Pulling back, he relished the glazed look in her eyes. “We’d better head out. I’ll just grab my clothes from the dryer and change real quick.” In all actuality, he was seconds from begging off on dinner and spending the remainder of the evening seducing his mate.

“I’ll get Lilly into her car seat then.” Ashe began to head for the door, and Luke almost stopped her, but he’d only be a moment, so he picked up his pace and dressed in record time.

He was just coming back through the living room when he heard Ashe’s phone chime. Spotting the glowing screen on the side table, he picked it up, only to see that it was her uncle calling her once again.

Could the man not take a hint? Angry that he was still harassing Ashe, Luke answered the call. “Listen, badger, Ashe doesn’t want anything to do with you. Leave it be, and move on with your life,” he growled over the line.

“Who the fuck is this?”

Luke could tell her uncle was positively seething on the other end of the line. “I’m her mate.” He didn’t know and didn’t care what else the man might have had to say. Luke disconnected the call and made his way out to find the girls already in Ashe’s SUV and ready to go.

The drive didn’t take long, and he and Ashe passed it in a companionable silence. He hadn’t mentioned the call, not wanting to ruin her evening, but he planned to tell her once they’d left to head back to her house.

She stepped from the car and Luke unlatched the car seat, lifting it out to bring Lilly inside while Ashe collected the diaper bag.

“So this is where you’re staying?” she asked, looking all around. “This is very nice, but the bee boxes sort of freak me out. I’m not a fan of those little stingers.”

“I suppose it’s a bear thing, but yeah, this is where I’m staying. Just a forewarning, Benson didn’t do the decorating, his mother did.”

She shot him a strange look, but when she got a glimpse of the pastel nightmare inside, she would thank him for the warning.

They were coming up the porch steps when Benson opened the front door for them. “You two are just in time. Dinner is finished and I just set the table.”

Taking a deep breath to gird himself, Luke followed Ashe inside, and came to a screeching halt. Everything was different! Polished wood floors gleamed, cream walls and beige trim were set off by dark brown sofas with a scattering of cream and red pillows. Gone were the frilly curtains, replaced by crimson panels that stretched to the floors.

The place no longer resembled the inside of a dollhouse, instead looking like something out of an interior design magazine, and Luke gaped at Benson. “What the hell happened in here?”

“Mom fixed it. Apparently she was drunk when she decorated originally. She reamed my ass for not telling her to change it sooner, but I wasn’t about to insult her. Now she’s enjoying the fact that her son, who’s a damn sight larger than she is, is afraid of her.” Benson sighed. “It’s going to be a long night.”

Luke chuckled at his friend, then his nose began to twitch. “Why do I smell a cat?”

Right on cue a sleek black and white cat came sauntering into the room, sat primly on its rear end, regarded each person, and said, “Dinner is waiting.” It then strolled right back out of the room with its tail in the air.

Ashe’s wide eyes met his, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she managed, “That fucking cat just talked!”

Benson groaned. “Mom, can we cut it with the theatrics? Ashe isn’t used to our kind and you’re going to freak her out.” He looked over at Ashe. “I’m sorry, she likes to use her familiar to relay messages. She claims it’s more reliable than any piece of technology out there.”

Luke rolled his eyes. This was sure to be a
very
interesting meal. “So what’s on the menu tonight?” His nose was telling him meatloaf, but he wasn’t so sure. Maybe it was a trick, just like the cat.

“I did tell you my mother is a little…
different
, didn’t I?” Benson asked in a hushed tone.

“Ashe mentioned she was a witch, and not a grizzly. You could have brought that up at some point.”

“Well, I wasn’t sure how you’d take it. Most people are scared shitless of her kind. Besides, she’s all but retired now,” he shrugged.

“What the hell does that mean? Does she live in some witchy retirement coven?”

“Um, no, she was kicked out of her coven.” Benson stepped over to Ashe and slung his arm around her shoulder. “Let’s go eat, shall we?”

“What the hell?” Luke hissed. Now he wanted to know just what she had to do to get herself kicked out of her coven. From what he knew of witches, they were pretty close-knit, so it would have to be something bad.

Since they were wandering to the kitchen, he was left with no choice but to follow. Still holding Lilly, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when Benson’s mother came flying in his direction, all soft coos and wild red curls.

She was a fairly small woman, not much past five foot tall, but her presence was huge. She was a whirlwind, and looked like a flower child. Flame red curls bounced around her round face, long skirt swishing with every step, and large silver bracelets clinking on her wrists.

A snap of her fingers and the straps holding Lilly in the seat were gone and she was lifting the grinning baby up. “Aren’t you a beauty?” Luke watched as her eyes flashed bright, a captivating violet that glowed while she seemed to be looking inside little Lilly, and the thought had him ready to pounce. “Oh, yes. You’re going to grow up to be a woman of beauty and strength, but men will be a problem.” Her eyes snapped to Luke. “She needs a brother, a protector that will be with her throughout her life. He needs to be close in age. Get on that already.”

Benson coughed, rubbing his neck. “Did I mention my mom could be pretty direct?”

No shit
, Luke thought. “Sorry, ma’am, but Ashe and I are still getting to know each other, so I’m not so sure any more kids will be happening too soon.”

“My name is Cretia,” she said, introducing herself. “And you’ll be making babies sooner than you think, young man.” She moved over to where Ashe was standing next to Benson. “The two of you are going to have an amazing life together dear, you’re a very lucky girl.”

He watched as Ashe blushed, pleased when she smiled brightly and looked towards him. “Thank you, I think so too.”

“Oh, I know so, dear. Now, let’s eat before all this food gets cold.”

They all gathered around the long wooden table in the kitchen, and the spread laid out looked delicious. The meatloaf was perfect, and even had the ketchup baked on top like his mother used to do. He took in the bowl of mashed potatoes, green beans, and buttery rolls and nearly groaned.

It was like flashing back to a family dinner growing up at home, only a lot less weird. At home there wasn’t a cat staring daggers at him. “Your familiar doesn’t seem to like me much,” Luke pointed out.

Cretia regarded the feline for a moment before turning back with a broad smile. “You got that right, pooch! Age old rivalry you two have going, the whole cat and dog thing.”

Ashe laughed, taking Lilly back from Cretia and getting a bottle from the diaper bag to feed her. She paused and gave the evil fleabag a scratch behind the ear and he heard the thing purr as it leaned into her touch. “Such a sweet kitty,” she praised.

He could have sworn the little bastard smirked at him when Ashe moved on to take her seat, and Luke bared his teeth.
Fuck, am I really squaring off with a damn housecat?

“So what’s the special occasion?” Benson asked. “I mean, Luke’s been here for a few weeks now, so I know you didn’t come all this way just to check out who was taking up space here. Not to mention, this dinner smells amazing and you don’t usually cook. I’m just curious.”

“Can’t a mother stop by for a visit with her favorite son?”

“I’m your
only
son, and not usually without an agenda. You haven’t been here since I moved in.”

She merely waved him off. “Well, I felt like I needed to be here. I was drawn here and the spirits seemed to think my presence was needed rather urgently, so I plopped my ass in the car and came. There, are you happy?”

Benson’s eyes rolled and Luke saw Cretia’s narrow. “Mom, as you can see, everything is fine here. I’m not sure what the spirits are foreseeing, but there’s nothing happening around my home.”

“Oh, it’s not you I’m here for, it’s that little peanut and her mother.”

Luke’s gaze snapped to Ashe’s equally stunned face before swinging back to the violet-eyed witch currently fixing her plate. “Excuse me, what do you mean?”

She sighed, seemingly put out by having to answer more questions. “I mean, I’m here to look out for those two, and in turn you. Now these aren’t extremely accurate, so it could be any number of things, but don’t worry, I’ve got this covered. Butters and I will be keeping watch until the trouble has passed.”

“Butters?” Ashe spoke up, her pretty face pinched into a frown.

Cretia leaned forward as if to tell some big secret. “Damn cat is obsessed with the that southern woman’s cooking show. You know, the one that cooks everything in a pound of butter? Can’t get him to budge if it’s on the tube.” At that, she threw her head back and laughed. “So you see, the name fits. Now everybody hush and eat.”

Luke shook his head and went about fixing Ashe a plate, before setting it before her and scooping Lilly up to finish giving her the bottle. She looked up at him as she suckled, big brown eyes taking him in before she smiled, dribbling milk down her chin.

It was official now. He was wrapped tight around this princess’s little finger.

Ashe smiled as she ate her meal, finishing up and taking Lilly back so she could be burped, and Luke went about fixing his plate. By the time dinner was done, Ashe and Cretia were busily clearing the table when the first rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

Benson scowled, grumbling as he went to the mudroom by the back door. “I’ll be back in a few. I need to make sure all the bee boxes are secured before this storm moves in.”

“Good luck with that,” Luke called. “I’m not getting near those things.”

He remained at the table, Lilly in his lap as he played piggies with her toes. Even though he’d never envisioned himself in a fatherly role, it was crazy how quickly he’d adapted. Matt would have been a fantastic father too, and it pained him anew that he’d never get to see his beautiful daughter.

“You look like you could use a drink,” Cretia said from over his shoulder. “Here, try this, it’s imported and sweet enough to enjoy as a dessert.”

She offered him a plastic cup that he couldn’t see the contents of, when Ashe came to sit next to him. “So this is a wine?” he asked cautiously.

“Yup, from my private cellar,” she boasted. “Very hard to come by.”

“It’s really good,” Ashe admitted taking another sip. “I’d love to order a bottle to have at the house from time to time.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Meanwhile, you two enjoy that and I’ll see if Benson needs any help. My bones are telling me this storm will be a doozy.”