She woke when Paris threw herself onto the bed beside her and had a brief panic attack, sitting up to check her bedside drawer and make sure she had put away her vibrator the night before. It was safely tucked away in its habitual spot.
She groaned her complaint, putting her pillow over her head to block out her friend, and the sun that slanted brightly through the claw holes one of her grandmother’s long deceased cats had left in the curtains.
“So,” Paris said pulling back the pillow. “I just ran into tall, blonde and incredibly sexy in the kitchen.”
“Cael,” Lia grimaced and dropped her arm over her eyes as she remembered. “Oh, shit.” Damn it, she thought, ridiculously embarrassed by her behavior of the night. She had been all but f-king Raiden in the front yard, and then, if Paris had not returned home just when she had, she might have f-ked Cael right there on the kitchen floor.
It just would not do, Lia, she told herself. She needed to get a handle on this heat, invest in a new vibrator, and get onto a contraceptive, before she got herself into trouble more permanent than a quick, lust filled f-k with a warlock or a werewolf. Or anything else male for that matter.
Did contraceptives even work for Others? The thought struck her hard. Did Others and witches get human contraceptives, or was there an Other sort of family planning practise that she didn’t know of? Oh god, she thought. That was not a conversation she could have with Cael, and she doubted very much that her very sexually reticent grandmother would be any more open about such things in death.
“Cael,” Paris repeated dreamily, oblivious to the chaos of Lia’s thoughts. “That’s what I would have named him, too. Tell me he’s our new roomie, please.”
“He’s our new roomie,” Lia confirmed grimly. “Or he will be, when he actually pays for the room.” If he kept his hands to himself and didn’t try to use his magic to seduce her again, that was.
“Good,” Paris pressed a kiss against Lia’s cheek. “The scenery around here just improved one hundred-fold. So, how did things go with Raiden last night? He is super hot, hey? And such a sweetie. I was so not surprised when he offered to take you home last night. The moment he set his eyes on you, I could totally tell.”
“I kissed him,” Lia admitted.
Paris squealed in high pitched excitement and Lia complained trying to hide her pillow. Paris would have none of it, tugging it away and tossing it aside so that Lia had nowhere to cower behind. “Go on! No way! You never kiss anyone.”
“I know.” But she had done plenty of kissing last night, Lia thought to herself. Not just with Raiden. Shit.
“So, tonight?” Paris prompted.
Lia’s heart leapt within her chest. She wanted to see Raiden again, desperately, and that desperation was warning that perhaps she had better apply some caution – at least until she answered the question about contraceptives and Other lovers. “If he offers to take me home, maybe.”
“Oh, you’re so gone on him, I can tell,” Paris nudged her with her shoulder. “Admit it.”
Lia flushed. Raiden had featured heavily in her fantasies during her quality time with her vibrator, and she had brought herself to orgasm twice remembering the heat of their kiss. Even after, she had felt unsatisfied. Her vibrator simply was not the man, and her body craved his against it with an intensity that was almost frightening.
“I barely know him,” she said the truth that frightened her most of all about the raging desire she felt for the werewolf. “I served him a few drinks and he gave me a lift home. I don’t know. Maybe, if I get to know him better…?” Please, Lia, she told herself. Wait until you know him better. You’re an adult, you can resist your hormone-filled desires.
“Chemistry, baby.” Paris smirked.
“I guess,” Lia murmured. She was too close to the truth, Lia thought with an edge of desperation. Chemistry or heat. She needed to speak to Cael. She threw back the covers and pushed her way free of Paris and the bed. “I’m going to have a shower.” A cold one. A very long, very cold shower.
“Put on some lippy before you go to the kitchen. If Raiden does not do it for you, maybe Cael will,” Paris made kissing noises before closing the bedroom door. If only she knew, Lia thought grimly, how accurate she was.
She showered and braided her hair back into two pigtails before pulling on tracksuit pants and a t-shirt. She could hear Paris chattering to Cael in the kitchen and took a deep breath before opening the door.
Paris was pouring coffee, and Cael sat at the table, with a newspaper open before him, seemingly totally at home in the small kitchen, his long legs crossed at the ankles and the sun catching in his golden hair and overnight growth of stubble. He was, frankly, gorgeous, she thought. More than gorgeous. He was beautiful, as if every part of him had been carved to demonstrate and artist’s concept of masculine perfection.
He was drinking coffee, black, with an oddly puzzled expression, as if he had not had the beverage before. She wondered if Paris had made it – operating the coffee percolator was not one of Paris’ domestic skills and what she produced mystified Lia for its thick texture and nutty taste.
“Ah, here she is,” Paris said as Lia entered. “Cael was just telling me that he’s on loan from The Light Company.”
“Oh?” Lia had never heard of them but thought it would be rude to say. She took down a cup and placed it beside Paris’. Paris added a spoonful of instant and added hot water, knowing better than to offer Lia the product of her percolator poison.
“Ta.” Lia took the cup to the table and pulled out a chair opposite to Cael. He sat up, pulling his legs back from under the table.
His eyes meeting hers danced with mischief as he leaned his elbows on the table surface. “It’s a very small company,” he said easily, taking a sip of his coffee, and holding her gaze over the rim. “We’re trying to build our corps, so, in a way, I’m here as a spy, to find new talent and convince them to join us.”
“Lucky us,” Paris leaned against the back of Lia’s chair. Lia could not see her, but she was sure that Paris’ eyes would be batting, and her cleavage would be advantageously displayed. When it came to men, Paris was an accomplished predator. “That you saw our advert for a roomie.”
“Lucky me,” Cael replied with a smile. “Or I would have been sleeping in the academy halls last night.”
“Could have found a hotel,” Lia pointed out.
He shrugged. “It also was an option, but I am not familiar with the area.”
“Found your way here, well enough.”
“Lia,” Paris nudged her. “Forgive Lia,” she said to Cael. “She gets testy when she doesn’t get a full twelve hours of sleep. Late night last night in Lia’s world, which is primarily shared by crocheting grandmas and lap cats. She’ll cheer up once she has had a coffee or five. On that note, I had better have a shower,” she added, setting her empty cup onto the sink. “I have a yoga class I teach at a local park,” she told Cael. “If you are interested. It really helps your flexibility,” she winked.
“Thanks, another time,” he smiled and returned to his newspaper. The paper was three weeks out of date, Lia noticed, and wondered what he found so fascinating in old news.
Paris caught Lia’s eyes over his shoulder as she opened the door into the hallway. “Be nice,” she mouthed with a frown, before closing it behind her.
Lia rolled her eyes and drank her coffee.
“I feel that we got off to a bad start last night,” Cael said quietly.
Lia flushed. “Rather.”
“I am not normally so… predatory,” he set the newspaper to the side. “Perhaps because you were all… warmed up from your boyfriend, the heat struck me a bit stronger than normal. I do not make a habit of wrestling women onto the floor within minutes of meeting them, I promise you.”
“About that,” Lia said, setting her coffee cup down. “I don’t know what you mean by heat.”
He frowned. “You do not know?”
“No.”
“It is perfectly normal. Part of reaching adulthood,” he had a dimple when he smiled, she noted. “You just need to be a bit cautious as you will attract more male attention than normal. You smell,” he inhaled, and his eyes lit wickedly. “Like sin.”
“How long does it last?” She wondered embarrassed. “And is there any way I can… hide it?”
“From your werewolf boyfriend?” He raised his eyebrows. “He would already know, I imagine. It was sort of hard to miss last night.” He inhaled deeply. “Less noticeable this morning. I presume you took care of yourself last night,” his eyes were hot as he smiled, a slow lascivious curl of his lips. “That will help to hide it.”
“Great,” Lia hunched her shoulders. So, she either smelt like a walking come on to Raiden, or, like Cael, he would know that she had spent quality time with her vibrator. “How long?” She repeated. “And how often?” She added with horror, realizing it might not be a once off.
He shrugged. “A week, and monthly.”
“Oh, great,” she rolled her eyes heavenward. As if being a woman did not suck already.
He chuckled. “There is a simple solution that most people take.” He raised his eyebrows. “More effective than masturbation.” He grinned. “I would be happy to help out, if your pet dog is not man enough to satisfy.”
“Thanks, and no thanks. Strictly hands off, by the way,” she added. “If you are going to be living here, we can absolutely not have a repeat of last night. And, before you get your hopes up, Paris has a boyfriend.”
“She is not my type.” He stood and took his cup to the sink, collecting hers on the way through. “As to the rest… As you wish. You might regret that, however,” he said, smugly. “There was something between us last night. More than the heat. I know you felt it, too.”
“I am sure I will be fine,” she retorted. “So, one month’s rent, by the end of today.”
“Sure, and how would you like that?”
“Cash is fine.”
“Alright,” he paused by the door. “Let me know when you change your mind.”