Chapter 7: All Sorts of Right and Wrong

**Jax**

"Isach?"

Just how much did I drink? Because I had to be seeing things. No way was Isach standing in front of me.

Abby was across the room in a flash. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you, but you're clearly occupied." He sliced an accusatory look at me.

I glared at him. Was he seriously accusing me and Abby of doing something? Didn't he realize he'd broken her heart - again - and I was left to pick up the pieces? If anything, he should be thanking me.

"We're just hanging out waiting for food. I wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind to be alone. Come in," Abby said.

Isach stepped into the room, his murderous glare still directed at me. My lip curled in a snarl. Let him say something else. . . I flexed my fingers so I wouldn't be tempted to punch him square in the nose.

A split second later, Piper followed Isach into the room.

My heart stopped. I wasn't drunk enough to deal with this. "Great. You brought Pippy the Perky Witch," I said, my tone dry.

"It's Piper to you, vampire." She tapped the tip of my nose, and I swatted at her hand, but she flitted out of the way before I could make contact.

But that tiny, inconsequential touch had my blood turning to lava in my veins. I swallowed hard and forced myself to remain calm, to act like she didn't completely upend me in every way imaginable.

I swung the door closed. "Seriously, why is she here?"

"Protection," Isach said. "Now, if you two don't mind, I'd like a moment alone with Abby."

Oh, h*ll no. No way was I going to be alone with Piper. But then Abby gave me a small nod. I sighed. She needed this time with Isach, and I couldn't rob her of that.

I opened the door. "You know where to find me if you need me." Then I left. Piper was right behind me.

My back was rigid as I unlocked the door to my room. I held it open and nodded for her to enter. She gave me a flirty smile that twisted my insides, then sashayed into the room like she owned the place. Yeah, no way this wasn't going to go horribly bad for me.

I followed her into the room, and the door swung shut with a loud click. Piper was wandering around, studying the décor. Arms crossed, I watched her through narrowed eyes. Head tilted back, she stared up at the ceiling for several moments before settling her gaze on the far wall where a framed painting of a field of snapdragons hung. She didn't hover near that too long before dragging her fingertips along the wall as she continued to peruse the room.

"Never been in a hotel before?" I asked.

She stopped, twisted to glance at me, and smirked. "I've been in plenty of hotel rooms before. Just never this one."

"Yeah, well, if you ask me, this one is tacky."

Her light laughter seemed to echo in the room, seeping deep into my pores. I dug my fingers into my biceps to stop myself from doing something stupid. I knew why she had this effect on me, but I hated it. I hated how completely enamored I was with her. She was a stranger. A witch. Abby and Isach had better hurry the h*ll up.

"So, why's Isach here anyway? Thought he was going to keep hiding from the world?"

Piper gracefully crossed the room, eased down onto the bed, and leaned back so she was propped up on her hands. "He had a change of heart."

My chest constricted with a sharp breath. The sight of her in this room, this space that was mine, was bad enough, but to see her sitting so casually on what was currently my bed. . . It was all sorts of right and wrong. My nostrils flared with a heavy exhale.

"I'm assuming you had something to do with that?" I raised a brow.

Her answering flirty smile was a kick straight to my heart. "I may have said something to him."

"Right." I nodded. My entire body was stiff from how hard I was tensing my muscles so I wouldn't close the distance between us and make her a permanent fixture in my bed. And my life. "And your sisters? They just agreed to let him go?"

"They were reluctant at first. But I can be very persuasive."

"I'm sure you can," I said before I could stop myself.

She caught my gaze, her eyes twinkling with shared knowledge. Too bad I had no idea what that knowledge was. Did she know who she was to me? Was she trying to tell me without having to say the words? Or maybe she just got off on taunting me. She was a witch, after all, and witches were notorious for the games they played.

"Isach said you were here for his protection." I moved a little farther into the room and leaned against the dresser. "Are you his personal bodyguard now?"

"Something like that." She lay flat on her back, hair fanned out around her, and her arms above her head. She let go of a sigh that was full of restlessness.

I remained rooted in place and stared at her. Which was my first mistake, because seeing her on the bed like that, all I could think of was slowing crawling over her, lowering my mouth to hers. Her tangling her fingers in my hair as she held me to her, demanding more of me.

My gaze slowly raked down the length of her body, and that was my second mistake, because now I could feel her beneath me. The heat of her wrapping around me, drawing me deeper and deeper under her spell. I could hear her soft moans and whispers for more.

"It's rude to stare," she said.

My attention jerked back up to her face. She'd turned her head and was now looking directly at me, her lips curved in a tantalizing smile.

"It's rude to make yourself at home in someone else's bed without an invitation, too, but there you are." I jutted my chin at her.

"Is that your not-so-polite way of telling me to get out of your bed?" She eased up into a sitting position, hands once again propped behind her.