The Lying, the Witch, and the Werewolf (Down & Dirty Supernatural Cleaning Services Book 4) by Kate Quinn (uplifting books for women .txt) 📗

“Then we’ll deal with them.” Nico grimaces.

“You don’t mean...kill them, do you?” I ask, horrified. Before today I wouldn’t have jumped to that conclusion. But Cassie’s story made me remember that Nico is not someone you want as an enemy.

“No, Paige. I don’t mean kill them. We’ll tie them up or whatever. I wouldn’t blame anyone who’d rather work than attend a luau.”

The way he says luau is the way most people would talk about having a party in a public sewer. “I thought you’d be into the whole roasted pig thing,” I say. “Cassie got weird about the luau too. I thought she’d be excited for a big party, but she’s planning on staying in her yurt tonight.”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised…” Nico sighs. “The last luau we attended didn’t end well.”

“What happened?” I ask, unable to suppress my curiosity.

Nico shakes his head. “Long story,” he says, which is pretty much what he always says when he hints at his mysterious past.

We head into the chocolate lab...at least that’s what the adorable handmade sign on the front door reads. I decide to be the better person and not point out how right I was. “Are you getting some Hansel and Gretel vibes here?” I ask Nico.

He laughs and runs a knuckle along the door. “Seems to be made out of metal, not candy. We should be safe.”

I unlock the door and we slip inside. I reach for the lights, but Nico grabs my hand, stopping me. “Better not to advertise someone’s inside...just in case anyone comes by.”

I nod my agreement although I can hardly see anything, even after my eyes adjust to the darkness. Unlike Nico, I don’t have the benefit of an animal’s night vision.

There are some low-level emergency-type lights that must stay on all the time to keep us from being in total blackness. Following close behind Nico, we move toward a large swirling vat. I look down into it and realize it’s full of melted chocolate. They must keep it running all night to keep the chocolate warm and liquid.

I take in a deep breath, letting the smell fill my senses. “It’s delicious and I can picture myself swimming in it.”

“I used to pretend when I was a kid that Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was real. I’d imagine where I’d go first.”

Nico’s voice is low and close to my ear when he responds, “From the way you're looking at that chocolate, I think you’d be the kid who falls into the chocolate river and gets sucked away.”

I swat at him and connect with his rock-hard stomach. Still naked, of course. Quickly, I snatch my hand back. “How do you even know what Willy Wonka is?”

“I’m working through a list of one hundred movies to see before you die. Trying to understand more of the pop culture things people say that always go over my head.”

I’m surprised. Nico never struck me as the sort to care what anyone else thinks. Also, with his insistence on keeping his ancient computer, I kinda thought he was against all things modern.

“I can picture you swimming in it, too,” Nico says, his voice low. “But mostly, I really want to eat some,” Nico says.

“No!” I swat away his hand as he reaches down into the vat. “We don’t know what they have in mind for this stuff! It could be poison.”

He sniffs. “It doesn’t smell like poison.”

“Can you really smell the ingredients?” I ask, and he nods. “Okay, I’ve got a weird follow-up question...do you get any sense that it might be made with humans? Because Adorra claimed it was a misprint on a label, but—”

Nico laughs and looks down into the swirling chocolate. “No, Paige. I don’t think this is poison, and I don’t think it’s made out of humans. All I smell is pure milk chocolate.”

Then, to my shock, he dips a finger into the bowl, covering it. He brings it to my lips, and says, “Trust me. Taste it.”

“No way!” I protest, trying to ignore the temptation of Nico’s finger. I don’t know what’s going on but I know I don’t want to eat that chocolate...except, I do. Everything in me wants just a taste. I wipe a bit of drool from the corner of my mouth.

“Better my finger than you dunking your whole head in, and I can tell you want to.” His finger grazes my lips and I can’t stop my tongue from darting out to taste. Just that one little taste is enough to tell me this isn’t some cheap waxy stuff. Grabbing Nico’s hand, I hold him still while I slide his finger into my mouth and suck the coating off.

His eyes stare into mine and a low growl escapes him, making it very clear that this is a dangerous game I’m playing.

Holy crap. What am I doing? Not only should I NOT eat strange candy but I just deep throated Nico’s finger like a pro.

Releasing his hand, I step back and pretend that my heart isn’t threatening to gallop away, I jerk my head toward the vat. “I shouldn’t have done that. And you shouldn’t have tempted me.”

“Let’s make it even then,” he says, reaching for the vat again.

“We shouldn’t both…” This is such a bad idea, but I feel fine. Maybe the chocolate is just chocolate. As much as Adorra and Kama’s behavior around the subject felt like a red flag, maybe I’m wrong and this is just how Together We Come makes money on the side.

Nico’s eyes continue to hold mine with a dark intensity. “I don’t want to double dip. How about you scoop some for me?”

I know he wants to lick the chocolate off of me, the same way I did him. But I’m done playing with fire. Instead, I reach for a nearby wooden stir stick and dip into the chocolate. Holding it out to Nico, I say, “More hygienic.”

“But less fun,” he retorts. Still, he takes the stir stick and tastes it. He frowns,