The Accidental Familiar (Accidentally Paranormal Series Book 14) by Dakota Cassidy Page A

coaxed.
    “Well, if Rick says they’re the best, who are we to fucking question it? Rick knows everything, don’t’cha, Rick?” Nina asked sarcastically, punching his upper arm.
    If Rick had been nicer to her in the beginning, she’d owe him saint status for not throttling Nina by now. She’d taken outright jabs at him without hesitation since they’d left his house, and the foreseeable future didn’t look jab free for him either.
    Poppy reached forward and gripped Rick’s shoulder, preventing him from climbing from the van. For some odd reason, one she didn’t understand at all, but one she knew she needed to trust, she didn’t tell him this was where she lived.
    Not yet anyway. Though it would be aces to grab some clothes and personal items and find out how to reach her landlord in order to hopefully arrange to make payments on the rent she owed.
    “Why are we here again? I mean, I’m just asking in an effort to better understand what you do.”
    Turning to gaze at her, his eyes less icy than earlier this morning, he said, “I’m doing my job,” before sliding out of the van.
    On impulse, she climbed over the driver’s seat, knocking Nina in the head with her platform boot.
    “Watch it!” she yelped, swatting at the heel of her boot.
    “Wait!” Marty tugged the length of her hair. “You want us to come with?”
    Poppy offered a quick apology to Nina before she shook her head. “I think I need to handle this alone. But stay close?”
    “Always,” Wanda murmured, tucking her purse under her breasts and looking out at the children playing on the swing set in the park.
    Hopping out with a clunk of her boots to the concrete, she ran after Rick to catch up to him, hoping none of her neighbors saw her.
    Making a grab for his arm, she tried not to think about the ripple of his muscle beneath her fingertips or the oddly pleasant thrill she got when she touched him.
    She managed to thwart him beneath one of the old oak trees bracketing the entryway just outside the black iron gates to her home, noting the gold and burnt orange colors of the leaves made his dark presence even sexier.
    God. She had to stop thinking of him as sexy. She was his advisor, not his Sugar Mama.
    Taking a deep breath, she fought the appeal of his cologne and the olive tones to his perfect skin. “Tell me about your job. I mean, in an effort to help me show you what a rad familiar I can be. Let’s get to know each other. Okay?”
    Standing tall, his reluctance clear, he loomed over her, even with her in platform boots. “I told you about my job.”
    She shook her head as the wind picked up, pushing her hair into her face. “No. You told me your job’s title. What does one do when they develop? Develop can mean lots of things. Software, buildings, concepts.”
    “I buy things and develop them.”
    She let her shoulders sag and made a pouty face, stuffing her cold hands into her pockets. “Aw, c’mon, Ricky baby. Help a girl out here. That’s so vague. Like, for instance, if you asked me what kind of an actress I am, I’d tell you my specialties are improvisational with a little method thrown in. Also, I can dance. Ballet, tap, ballroom, but my true calling is contemporary. Oh! And I sing. Er, mostly karaoke.”
    Now Rick almost smiled, further making her cheeks warm. “You’re an actress? Have I seen you in something?”
    “Hah! Not likely. Unless you saw my commercial for Red’s Rides Used Cars. It was local. You know, ‘Come to Red’s and save some bread!’ and then because Red turned into a fan, mostly because I was cheap and I’d wear the costume, I did a commercial for his brother Hank’s sister dealership, too. Maybe you recognize ‘Let Hank fill your tank!’ Buy a used car, get a free tank of gas!’”
    Her eyes momentarily fell to the ground to hide her shame. She’d been in dire straits at the time, and while most of the acting community would frown upon stooping to a cheesy local commercial, it had paid