Penny & Her Heru Ch 11

Rent-A-Witch: Whynot Coven

11 - Caught On The Table

It took effort but I kept my mouth shut as Heru gave me a tour of his house. Calling it a house was an understatement. It was a barn the size of a Walmart. The outside was painted a dark gray with navy trim with windows spaced in pairs along the sides to give it a homey feel. The best part was the huge porch along the side with the front door. Backless benches were flanked with end tables covered with flowerpots. It was the perfect place to hang out with a cup of tea and a book – I just needed a chair with a back.

A startled screech escaped me when Heru scooped me into his arms bridal style. "What are you doing?"

"Carrying my Soul Spark over the threshold." He didn't miss a beat as he strode straight for the door and walked into one of the most beautiful homes I'd ever seen.

Hardwood floors stretched wall to wall. Huge leather furniture created a seating area around a fireplace. I could tell from my position in his arms that it was expensive and well-made, but the area was bare, just the couches with low backs and the TV. His kitchen was made up of dark wood cabinets, and quartz countertops, I needed to get closer to be sure, but his stove looked like a fancy French one I'd drooled over for years. Everything was well made and high quality but sparse.

My eyes followed a set of stairs to a catwalk on the second floor. One side led to several closed doors, the other to a massive set of double doors. A couple of pictures lined the walls keeping it from being as bare as the downstairs area. Thankfully a handrail stretched the length of it so I wouldn't fall to my death.

Heru set me down on a kitchen counter, then caged me with his arms so I couldn't scoot away. "Hungry?"

"Yes, but not for food.” I pressed kisses along his jaw.

"Naughty Dove. I could eat you right here." He trailed soft kisses down my neck to my shoulder.

I spread my legs so he could settle in between them. My gargoyle didn't waste any time filling the space. "Do you often eat on the counter?"

"Nope. I eat at the table like a civilized beast." I wrapped my legs around his hips when he picked me up from the counter and headed for the table in question.

I pressed kisses across his bare chest as he walked. If he were a normal man there would be no way he could carry me that far, but he was far from a normal man. He was seven feet of rock-hard male, and he was all mine.

One swipe of his tail sent the few things on the table flying before he sat my bottom on the table in front of a chair.

Someone knocked on the door before I could find out what he had planned. I tried to relax when he ignored it and undid a button on my blouse. I pushed his hands away and jerked my head toward the window when a vaguely familiar face appeared.

"Who is she?" I hissed near his ear in case she could hear me.

Heru rested his forehead on my shoulder with a groan. "That's my mom. Which means my dad is out there too."

She disappeared as quickly as she appeared. If it were my mom, she would've been powerwalking back up the walkway the second she saw us making out on the table. Judging by the resumed knocking on the door his mom wasn't the least bit embarrassed about interrupting us.

"She's knocking again." I rolled my lips and stretched my eyes as big as they would go in an effort not to laugh in his face.

Heru pressed a quick kiss against my lips before helping me slide down from the table. "Of course she is."

I moved to stand next to the couch as he opened the door. His mother patted him on the stomach as she passed him without saying hello. The gargoyle that followed her shook his horned head and stopped just inside the door like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Penny, honey I'm so glad your back!" She grabbed my hands and pulled them against her full bosom. "I was so worried when Dennis at the hardware store told Yev that you left this morning. I spent the whole day …"

Heru cleared his throat so violently beside me that I thought he was going to be ill. He obviously didn't want me to know whatever his mom spent the whole day doing.

"Penny, these are my parents Marnie and Yev." He tucked me into his side when his mom reached for me again.

"Hi. We met last night at the ceremony." I waved awkwardly around his arm.

Marnie wasn't deterred in the least. "Of course we did. Your sister was a beautiful bride, and I can't wait to start planning your ceremony. I want to …"

I cringed internally. Marnie seemed like a lovely woman who was obviously very happy her son found his mate, but I had very definite ideas about my wedding. I'd been planning it since I went to my first wedding at five. I knew a few things needed to be changed to make my dream fit into the courtyard on clan lands and work in the whole bleeding part of the ceremony, but there was no way in the world I would let her take over my wedding.

Thankfully Yev spoke up for the first time. "Marnie, calm down. I'm sure Penny has plans of her own. You can throw a barbeque after she settles in. You know how people love those."

Doubt crossed Marnie's face for the first time since she barged through the door.

I winced internally but wanted to set boundaries at the beginning of our relationship. "I've been planning my wedding since I was five, but if you want to guide me on the gargoyle parts that need to be included, I'd appreciate it."

Heru squeezed my hip at the same time the ball of energy in my chest warmed with happy tingles. "Just our ceremony points, Mom. I mean it."

"I swear you think I'd just take over everything. I had a great ceremony with your father. I don't need another one.” She threw her hands in the air. “They think I'm some kind of party czar. I swear. I just like a good party."

I leaned toward her and smiled. "You’re gonna love my mom. She can plan a party in ten minutes that should have taken months."

Marnie's face lit up. "We met last night of course. We invited them to dinner when Heru claimed you. Your parents are lovely, but your dad doesn't talk that much though, does he?"

I doubt she wanted me to answer her, but I shook my head.

"They spent the night in our guest room and took the mirror back this afternoon after looking around town for a bit. It was right after we dropped them off at the Gatehouse that we ran into Dennis at the hardware store." She tugged my hand until Heru let me go then led me to the couch. "Now you don't have to tell me where you went this morning, because everything is obviously alright between the two of you now – you know from what I saw on the table over there."

It was tempting to tell her that she was right, but I bit my tongue. Even if she was a bit pushy, I could tell she meant well. She was excited and wanted to know all the things about her soon to be daughter-in-law. I suppose one day I would be the same when our kids found their mates.

A chill went down my spine. I had no idea if our kids would be gargoyles, or if they would be witches. So far, I'd only seen male gargoyles in the Grabbio clan. I knew from the research I did this morning there were some clans in Europe and one in Africa that had females, but not all did.

Heru recognized my panic and diverted his mother's attention. "Do you two have dinner plans? I’m ordering delivery."

For the first time his dad perked up, his mom shook her head and shot a look at the dining room table. "We can order it to our house. Not sure I can eat at that table any time soon."

Heru put his hands on his hips and stared at the ceiling when his father snorted.

"That sounds great, I'm starving." I pushed off the couch and headed for the door. I'd never be able to live down the fact she caught us making out on the table.

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