Mine, it thought.

  No, she’s not, I thought back. Keep your caveman sensibilities to yourself.

  And that was about as far as my inner discourse went, because Fifi was on me the second I walked into her office and the door clicked shut behind us. I had to throw my hands out to brace myself against her desk to minimize impacting the wall and still made a fairly audible thump, in spite of myself.

  Did Fifi really think I was here for a morning booty call? Rhetorical question.

  “Fifi—” I began, sucking in a breath when she seized my hands and guided them to her very firm backside.

  Her arms wound around my neck, pulling my face down to meet hers. And then her lips were on mine and mine were on hers and my head went a little fuzzy.

  I knew I was supposed to be saying something, but couldn’t dredge up the words. Instead, I gripped her by her backside and lifted her off her feet, groaning when her skirt bunched up to her thighs and she wound her legs around my waist, holding fast as I backed her toward her desk. She let out a wild sound when I set her on the edge of the desk, upsetting a mail organizer. Envelopes and letters rained down onto the floor, but she didn’t seem to care.

  “Take your shirt off,” she panted, releasing me just long enough to go for the buttons on her own. “I have to see your body.”

  “Fifi,” I managed as I exhaled and the beast within me started to fight my words. “That’s not why I came,” I finally managed. A miracle, honestly, with all the blood in my body surging south.

  “It’s not?” She appeared a little dumbfounded.

  “No,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “We can’t have sex in your office—not with everyone out there,” I finished and motioned down the hallway.

  “Okay,” she said on a sigh. She definitely sounded disappointed.

  “If you value my sanity, please pull your skirt down,” I said, doing my best not to notice the garters that were holding up her hose. God, they were sexy. Not to mention the lace crimson panties that were peeking out at me. “Fifi, I can’t handle your panties at the moment.”

  “And why is that?” she asked with the devil’s smile.

  “Because I’m trying to talk myself out of ripping them off you,” I growled.

  “But what if I want you to?” she asked, smiling even as she smoothed her skirt back into place. Still, this visual was going to come back to haunt my dreams later. Fifi, with her mussed hair, smeared makeup, and skirt bunched at her waist.

  “I could send everyone home early and we’d have the office all to ourselves,” she continued. “Would you like that?”

  Only it wouldn’t be all to ourselves—it would be ourselves and a pink goose with a bad attitude.

  “Of course, I would,” I answered. “But we can’t go there right now.” I took a deep breath. Was this really what she thought I’d come for? To take advantage of her body and then go?

  “I want you to know… you’re more than a sexual object to me, Fifi.” I felt like it was worth saying. I took another deep breath. “That is to say, I didn’t come here to have sex with you—I came here to see you.”

  She blinked, and the coy smile melted off her face. I was glad to see it go. The Fifi I’d befriended wasn’t a confident succubus with a sex streak a mile wide—she was a hopeless romantic who got falling-down drunk every time her relationships went to hell. Which had been pretty often.

  Back then, I’d held her hair back when she got sick in the restroom, cleaned her up, and I’d gotten her home. I’d held her when she cried, celebrated when she’d finally dumped whoever deserved dumping and I’d protected her from assholes who saw ‘no’ as a challenge instead of an answer, even if she didn’t technically need the assistance. She was messy, yes, but almost painfully genuine. I liked that Fifi because that was the real Fifi—the genuine Fifi—and though I also liked the femme fatale she was learning to be, I didn’t want my other Fifi to disappear.

  “So… if you aren’t here for a quick and naughty session,” she asked as she looked up at me. “What are you here for?”

  Even now, I was fighting my inner beast about the ‘quick and naughty session’. “I, uh, I came to talk to you.”

  “Oh.” She definitely looked disappointed.

  “If you want to feed, we can do it in private… later.” I took a breath. “But I’m not going to let you do this here—not when you’re a business woman and you have a reputation as such.”

  She nodded and then her eyes dipped to her lap. “Well, I appreciate that.”

  I wasn’t sure if she did, so I leaned down and tipped her chin up. I pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, stroking her hair with my free hand. “I like you, Fifi Stendham, a lot.”

  She smiled up at me. “And I like you too, Roy.”

  “Dinner later?”

  She just nodded at me, though her expression was still guarded. “So… what did you come to talk to me about?”

  “Two things,” I answered and was surprised to hear myself because walking in, I’d decided it was just one thing.

  “And what are those two things?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

  “Lorcan is the first thing.”

  “Lorcan?” she asked, pausing to show her surprise. “And what’s the second thing?”

  “The second thing is whatever is going on between us.”

  Yes, it was probably true that the Lorcan situation was more important, but when I thought of the nap Lorcan was taking in the waiting room, I figured I had a little time. Hopefully, he was dreaming of large marshlands and pulling up lots of plump earthworms.

  Her expression grew more remote, and I noticed she wouldn’t meet my eyes. She backed away from me and, clearing her throat, started fussing with the satin blouse—tucking it back into the waist of her skirt.

  “Are things over?” she asked. Her voice was flat. Hollow.

  “No, definitely not—I just invited you to dinner, silly.”

  She nodded. “I just thought… maybe you meant a… friendly dinner.”

  “No, not a friendly dinner...” I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to think. “I told you… after the first time that we… got together, that I didn’t want to get into an exhaustive talk about the pros and the cons of our arrangement, and I still don’t.”

  “Okay.”

  “I just need... boundaries.”

  “Boundaries?” she asked, small lines forming between her eyes. They were cute—almost as cute as she was.

  “Yes, boundaries.”

  “What kind of boundaries?”

  I realized that nothing I was saying was making any sort of sense because I was talking in generalities. I breathed in deeply and then looked her directly in the eyes. “Not knowing where things are going is driving me crazy, Fifi.” I breathed out. “I don’t have to remind you that I’m a sasquatch, so you know I’m already bucking tradition by not settling with the first female of my species that I rutted.”

  She cleared her throat, clearly not appreciating my words.

  “I’m sorry,” I answered on a chuckle. “I’m not exactly good at being delicate with this… relationship stuff.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is…” What was the point I was trying to make? Damn this feelings stuff—I wasn’t any good with it. “I know what it’s like to have that creature inside you that pushes you toward things your rational mind doesn’t want or doesn’t think is right for you.”

  She eyed me narrowly. “What does that mean?”

  “It means my beast wants to trap you in my house and rut you until you’re covered in my scent, so no other male would dare touch you.”

  “Oh,” she answered, and a blush stole across her cheeks. I could suddenly scent her desire in the air and it was going to take everything in my power not to act on it.

  “But… my rational mind says you don’t need my protection.”

  “What if… I want your protection?” she asked in a mouse voice.

  I took a step closer to her. “You know you always have it.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm the beast down that was, even now, trying to talk me into bending her over the desk and taking her all over this office.

  “I guess… I just need to know where we stand, Fifi,” I said, feeling the need to get to the point because Lorcan was probably going to wake up soon and the last thing I needed was for him to come wandering into the office while I was…

  “I assumed things I shouldn’t have with Poppy,” I continued. “And that’s why I lost her. Same thing with all my other lovers. I don’t want to ruin what I have with you, Fifi. We’ve been friends for years, and I don’t want to lose a friend to something as silly as a misunderstanding.”

  “Okay.”

  I could tell I was rambling, and I needed to get to the point. “So… if this is just sex and you’re waiting for Mr. Right, that’s fine and I get it. And… I wouldn’t stop feeding you—if you needed me. But if you want more from me...”

  I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. This stuff was hard for me—putting my heart out there again and potentially allowing it to get broken… again.

  “I do,” she whispered, and I wasn’t really sure what she was responding to because I couldn’t remember the last thing I’d just said.

  She seemed to be avoiding my eyes again, and spots of color appeared high on her cheeks.

  “You do?” I asked.

  She nodded. “I do want more, but it felt wrong to ask,” she said, finally looking up at me. “I just figured… you probably weren’t over Poppy and, of course, I understand that.” She took a breath. “And to make matters worse, you’re watching her fall in love with another guy right in front of your face.”

  That reminded me of something else. “Are you doing okay with that?” I asked. “I know you had… feelings for Marty.”

  She nodded as she looked at me. “I’m actually… I’m actually fine with it. Whatever feelings I once had for Marty, I don’t have them any longer.”

  It was my turn to nod. “That’s good.”

  “Anyway, getting back to what I was saying: you and I sort of just happened and we never talked about it or where we were at in our lives and whether we were ready for… this,” she continued. “And I’m sure that was its own set of confusion and weirdness and…”

  I swallowed the last of her sentence in a kiss, framing her face in my hands. She felt more delicate than she really was. I wasn’t sure if she could beat me in a fight, but she was a lot stronger than her exterior would suggest. She was well-fed and stronger than she’d been in years. It might be interesting to find out who’d end up on top—literally and figuratively.

  “I want you to know something, Fifi,” I started as she looked up at me with those wide eyes. “The way you feel about Marty?” She nodded. “I feel the same way about Poppy. It’s like… yes, once upon a time there were strong feelings there, but they aren’t anywhere near as strong anymore.”

  “Then you’re okay that she’s with Marty?”

  I nodded. “I’m happy for her… for both of them.”

  She smiled, and her smile was everything.

  “I am too.”

  I cupped her face in my hands again and kept myself from kissing her. There was still more I wanted to say. “I want to date you, Fifi,” I managed. “I want to see what we… what this could be. Yes, I think we went about this ass-backwards, but I believe we could make it work.”

  “I think… I think we could too.”

  I smiled. “Fifi… I’m glad you’re my friend… or my girlfriend… or... whatever we call ourselves. The point is: I’m glad you’re in my life.”

  Fifi slid off her desk and threw herself into my arms and I held her close, stroking her hair as a huge smile overtook my mouth. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one feeling anxious about this and now I was annoyed with myself that it had taken me the time it had to bring the conversation up.

  “You said there was another topic you wanted to discuss?” Fifi asked as she looked up at me. “Something about Lorcan?”

  I nodded. “Right…” I took a deep breath. “I don’t know how else to put this, so I’m just going to put it: Lorcan is a goose.”

  “A goose?”

  “Right and we don’t know how or why he became a goose, but… that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a goose.”

  “A goose,” she repeated, worrying her lower lip. “As in… Franklin Goose.”

  I frowned. “Wasn’t that the name of the—”

  “Guy with the tombstone? Yes,” she nodded. “The same grave that Lorcan was sitting on after Wanda warned him not to disrespect the dead.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  She nodded as her eyes went even wider. “Where is he?”

  “In your waiting room.”

  She nodded, and it seemed like she knew something I didn’t as she reached behind herself and seized her purse, hurrying for the door. “I think I know what happened.”

  Chapter Eight

  The next day

  “You have got to be kidding!” Lorcan said as he waddled through the grass after we parked at Hollow Cemetery. We were due to meet Poppy, Wanda and Astrid at Poppy’s house, but because we were a few minutes early, we wandered into the graveyard instead, searching for Franklin Goose’s grave.

  “Not kidding,” I answered.

  The grass was actually towering over his head. “All because I sat on the edge of a grave?”

  “What did he say?” Fifi asked after Lorcan stopped his griping. I told her and she bent down to face him, shaking her head all the while. “Wanda and Astrid did warn you not to mess with the dead,” she said as we reached Goose’s grave and she was careful not to walk atop it. While still on the dirt path, she studied it, shaking her head.

  “I get so many warnings, I can scarce remember what they warned me against… or for,” Lorcan quacked.

  I frowned as I shook my head. “And there is the crux of your problem.”

  “What problem?”

  “Nevermind. The point is, as with most problematic situations in your life, you only have yourself to blame.”

  “This from a flatulent, overgrown, ape man?”

  “I’m not flatulent and I’m average height for a sasquatch.”

  “I care not, you expansive hairball.”

  I chuckled at that one because it was pretty creative, if I did say so myself. “This is why you listen when witches tell you things.”

  He hissed at me, “But, according to the superstition, the worst that was meant to happen was a haunting,” he continued. “Not this full-body goose shite.”

  “What did he say?” Fifi asked as she looked up at me and I informed her.

  “Actually, the goose ‘shite’ makes perfect sense,” Fifi responded while smiling down at Lorcan.

  “Please do enlighten me, demoness,” Lorcan growled, and I relayed his message.

  Fifi knelt near the gravestone, careful not to edge even a boot onto the plot. We’d met after work and made a short trip to her house so she could change into something more suitable than the outfit she’d been wearing at the office. Instead, she’d donned her old bar uniform, somehow managing to make faded blue jeans and a t-shirt look like a fashion statement. She traced the raised cameo on the headstone.

  “Lorcan thought the superstition would have meant he would have been haunted, not turned into a goose,” I said.

  She nodded. “The thing is, this is a haunting… of a sort.”

  “How do you figure?” I asked.

  “According to the research I did online last night, Franklin Goose was an ornithologist and worked in wildlife conservation,” she said as she pointed to the name on the headstone. Luckily for all of us, Fifi had access to the historical annals of Haven Hollow and had been able to run a search on Franklin Goose to learn as much.

  “His interest in certain species of birds was a bit... excessive,” she continued. “When he died, his will specified that he be buried with his beloved birds. He was buried with three of his most prized birds.” Then she looked over at Lorcan, who didn’t appear in the least bit impressed with this information. “Lorcan, you actually should be happy you ended up a goose. There was also a stuffed vulture in there.”

  I chuckled at that, just imagining Lorcan coming back as a vulture. Hopefully next time.

  Lorcan looked up at me with those beady goose eyes and they narrowed. “Laugh all you like, flea-bag, but none of this is helping me return to my vampire form.”

  I said as much to Fifi, who nodded, as if she were still getting to that part.

  She shrugged, which did interesting things to her chest—things I was currently trying my best not to notice. But, damn it all, the woman was sexy. Actually, she was the sexiest woman I’d ever seen, and now I had no idea how I was able to view her as a friend for all the years I had.

  Of course, I’d always known, objectively, that she was a beautiful woman, but I’d never looked at her as anything other than my friend and employee. And until now, I hadn’t thought to question why. It was just... strange.

  I wasn’t a null like Marty—which meant I wasn’t immune to Fifi’s abilities. Truly, she should have had some effect on me, especially that time when her bastard brother had heightened the potency of her natural pheromones when he’d doused her with Love’s Goddess potion. But neither the potion nor Fifi’s natural succubus charm had ever had any effect on me. Well, the potion might have affected me a bit at the time, but nothing compared to what it was supposed to do.

  Marty and I had been the only ones in a sea of hundreds to get a whiff of Fifi’s insane pheromones, and yet we’d been able to restrain our urges. And, like I’d mentioned, Marty had a reason why. So, what was the deal with me?

  I hadn’t actually started reacting to her until after we’d had sex. It was only then that these feelings had started—the need to protect her, the desire for more than just a friendship, the thoughts of her that wouldn’t stop coming. It was almost like...