A Touch of Magick (8 page)

“You okay?” Ryland’s gruff question broke the sensual bubble surrounding her.

She nodded. “Fine.” Her gaze dropped to the front of his pants before skipping back up to his face. “You?”

“I’ll live.” His wry reply made her smile. “There’s something about you that makes me feel, and act, like a randy teenager.”

Rhiannon giggled at the tinge of humor in his voice. The sound brought her up short. She never giggled on the principal that a woman of her small stature shouldn’t. It was hard enough to get people to treat you as a responsible adult when you weren’t bigger than most kids. Giggling only compounded the problem.

Ryland bent down and picked up the bakery box. “I don’t think we’re meant to eat dessert.”

She laughed, a straight-from-the-belly laugh that made him smile. Tears stung her eyes and she swiped them away. She’d never be able to eat another piece of chocolate without thinking about tonight. “I guess not.”

Her purse had fallen to the ground at some point. She had no memory of even dropping it. She scooped it up and hooked it over her shoulder as she dug around for her keys. The wind was suddenly cold and the dampness on her legs reminded her tshe was covered in chocolate. She glanced at Ryland’s pants and, sure enough, there were now stains on his pants.

She shook her head and went up the steps to her front door. She jammed the key into the lock and turned it.

“Here, you should take this.” He thrust the white box at her and she automatically took it. “I don’t think I’ll be coming in for coffee. Not tonight.”

Damn him. He had her tied up in knots. If he’d pressed to come in, she would be having second thoughts. The fact that he sensed her hesitation and was willing to step back made her want to drag him inside and bolt the door behind them.

Her emotions were spinning all over the place. She wanted Ryland but was almost afraid of how quickly the attraction had developed. It had been instantaneous from the moment they’d met.

Something in him called to the elemental female within her. He stirred the magick swirling inside her, amplifying it, making it difficult to control. Look what had happened tonight the few times a small amount of that energy had escaped. Utter mayhem.

She had to think about that. Ryland could be dangerous for her. Oh, who was she kidding? He was sinful dark chocolate and she was a chocoholic. It was only a matter of time until she succumbed to temptation. And she really had to stop with the chocolate analogies. Her fingers tightened around the box in her hand.

As much as she wanted him, she had to proceed with caution. Whether the candle magick had brought him to her or whether it was coincidence didn’t matter. She didn’t want to even contemplate that her sister might have cast a spell in order to bring her a lover. She shook her head. No, she was certain Gwen wouldn’t do that just so she could test her theory about releasing the magick blocked inside Rhiannon. Or almost certain.

Ryland stood next to her, his much larger frame blocking the cool ocean breeze. He had one hand braced against the doorframe and the other one resting against his thigh. At first glance, he appeared relaxed. A closer look revealed the tense set of his shoulders, the intensity of his gaze and the caged energy that seemed to vibrate around him.

He was right not to come in. If he did, they’d end up in bed together. And as much as she wanted that, she wasn’t quite ready yet. And then there was her first date rule. She raked her hand through her hair. Ryland left her feeling totally confused.

“Want to try this again?” Ryland was watching her closely. She felt like a deer being watched by a wolf. It was only a matter of time before he pounced and ate her. Okay, scratch that thought. The idea of Ryland eating her was enough to give her a hot flash.

She cleared her throat and pulled herself together. “Dinner?”

The corners of his eyes crinkled when he grinned. “Yeah, dinner. What did you think I meant?”

Some imp inside her made her slide her free hand over his chest and lean in until she was almost touching him. “Another kiss perhaps.” Was that voice really hers? She sounded sultry. Seductive.

His gaze narrowed and all laughter fled. His pale blue eyes darkened with desire as he lifted his free hand to cup her jaw. “That can be arranged.” He lowered his head and brushed his mouth over hers.

There was no way a man should be able to kiss as well as he could. It made every ounce of common sense and self-preservation seep from her body until nothing remained but a mass of need.

His tongue swiped at her lower lip, dipping inside the moment she gasped. There was no rush this time, only a slow, seductive foray. As though he had all the time in the world, Ryland slid his tongue over her teeth and the top of her mouth before teasing hers into twining with his.

The only contact besides their lips was his hand against her jaw. To anyone looking it would appear a sweet, if long, kiss. It was sweet, but it was also devastating. She could feel the barely suppressed desire that electrified the air and sense the control Ryland was exerting over himself. It was heady and exciting.

Rhiannon had no idea how much time passed before their mouths parted. She licked her lips. Ryland’s unique flavor mixed with her own to create an erotic combination.

“Dinner?” Her voice was little more than a whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Dinner? I’d like that.”

“Me too.” He slowly slid his hand from her jaw, trailing his fingers down the slender column of her neck. He dropped his hand and straightened beside her. “Tonight didn’t exactly go the way I’d planned.”

She could definitely relate to that. “Sorry you got chocolate on your pants.” It was bad enough she’d made a mess of herself. Embarrassment overshadowed passion, allowing her to gain control of herself and the situation.

“It was worth it.”

How could she resist him when he said things like that? She couldn’t. She chewed on her bottom lip as she pondered the situation. The energy created between them was obviously too volatile for a public location if tonight’s dinner date was any example. On the other hand, if he came to her house for dinner, there was a very good chance they’d end up in bed together.

After a few seconds of contemplation, she decided she’d have to take her chances. She didn’t want to risk anyone getting hurt in the crossfire of energy that sparked between them. It made her magick too unpredictable. Too out of her control.

“How about dinner here? Tomorrow?”

An expression of pure male satisfaction spread across his face. “I’d love it. What time?”

“How about seven?”

“I’ll be here.” He leaned down and pressed a hot, hard kiss on her lips and then stepped back. “Good night. And thanks for a memorable evening.”

She found herself grinning at him. It certainly was memorable. She stepped inside and watched as he strode back to his truck. As he climbed into the vehicle, he raised his hand and waved.

She waved back before closing and bolting the door. Leaning against it, she heaved a sigh. Her legs felt like jelly.

Abigail padded out to the foyer and stared at her, her green eyes not blinking as she eyed the bakery box.

Rhiannon laughed as she shoved away from the door. “I take it you’re hungry.” Abigail meowed before turning and darting away. Rhiannon kicked off her shoes and dumped her purse before padding to the kitchen.

The bakery box in her hand was in a sorry state. Part of one corner was pushed in where she’d gripped it too tight. Another side was partially dented, probably from being dropped. The pristine white was now speckled with dirt.

Placing it on the counter, Rhiannon opened the lid. Inside were two sinfully thick chocolate brownies. Reaching in, she scooped some of the cookie onto her finger, brought it to her mouth and licked it. She closed her eyes and gave thanks to the talented chef who’d created such a wonderful thing. It was moist and absolutely delicious. The squares were slightly smashed but they were certainly still edible. And Rhiannon had a sudden craving for chocolate.

Abigail twined around her legs in a silent reprimand. Dutifully, Rhiannon dug in the cupboard and came up with a handful of cat treats. “Why not? I plan to indulge myself too. Some nights a girl needs something special. Especially when she’s not going to get the hot sex she wants.”

Abigail purred in agreement.

Rhiannon scooped up the box and carried it upstairs to her bedroom. She planned to shower first. Then she was going to crawl into bed with her box of brownies.

She was hardly out of the shower when the phone rang. Still dripping, she wrapped a thick white towel around her body and darted into her bedroom. It was probably her sister. She wanted to talk to Gwen. She didn’t think her sister would cast a spell without permission, but she couldn’t be one hundred percent sure.

“Hello.” Her voice was breathless. Silence greeted her. “Hello.”

“Hey.” The thick masculine voice on the other end sent a shiver down her spine. Ryland.

“Hey yourself.” She tucked the phone under her ear as she shoved the end of the towel safely between her breasts. “Anything wrong?” Had he called to cancel tomorrow night? She gripped the phone tight in her hand and sank down onto the side of her bed.

“No. I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

A bead of water trickled down her neck. “I’m fine.”

“You’re better than fine.” His low voice sent a shiver of desire racing down her spine. “What are you doing?”

She glanced down at the towel she was wearing. “Nothing much. I just got out of the shower. I had chocolate on my legs.” It had surprised her that the chocolate mousse had seeped right through the fabric of her pants.

A low rumble came through the phone line. “I would have loved to lick it off.”

The room temperature shot up about twenty degrees. She could easily imagine his tongue rasping over the curve of her thigh. Breathing got difficult and she pressed her legs together to try to ease the ache that was getting greater with each passing second.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He continued to seduce her with just his voice.

She swallowed hard, trying desperately to ignore the brush of the towel against her taut nipples with each breath she took. “Yes.” Yes, she’d like it. What woman wouldn’t like it? A sexy man who wanted to lick chocolate from her body. It combined two of her favorite things—Ryland and chocolate.

“What else would you like?”

She should keep this light and flirtatious. Laugh and make some witty comment. Problem was she couldn’t think of anything particularly clever to say.

“Too much?” he asked after a few moments of silence. “How about this? What are you wearing?”

“I could tell you I’m wearing something sexy, but that would be a lie. I’m actually wearing a towel. I literally just got out of the shower.”

She could hear his breathing getting heavier. “You’re still wet.”

“Yes.” In more ways than one, but she wasn’t telling him that. Bad enough that she knew it only took his voice over the phone to make her hot.

“I bet your hair is sleeked back and there are droplets of water on your bare shoulders. Maybe even a stray one trickling down between your breasts.”

Rhiannon swallowed hard. Her breasts felt heavy. The towel confining. “No. No. The end of the towel is tucked in. It’s catching any stray water drops.” And could she get any more inane. She certainly wouldn’t win any awards for talking sexy over the phone. Groaning, she dropped her head into her hand.

“You could remove the towel and slide into bed. Wouldn’t want you to catch a chill sitting in a wet towel.”

Could she? It was silly, but she felt as though she needed the towel for courage. Even though he couldn’t see her, him knowing she was naked made her feel vulnerable. And hot. That was the problem.

“I’d feel bad if you caught a cold because of me,” he coaxed.

“What are you wearing?” If she was going to do this, she wasn’t doing it alone.

He laughed and the sound of male pleasure echoed in her ear. “I’m wearing a pair of gray sweatpants.”

“Nothing else?”

“Nope. I had a shower too. Didn’t see the point of putting on much else as it’s almost time for bed.”

His chest would be naked. She hadn’t seen it yet, but she could easily imagine it. Broad and strong and roped with muscle. She licked her lips. “Do you have chest hair?”

“Some. Not a huge amount.”

“What color is it?” She wanted a better picture.

“A bit darker than the hair on my head.”

Okay, the image was getting sharper. Closing her eyes, she could easily imagine it. Dark golden hair, a bit thick on top but tapering to a thin line that traveled down to his groin and disappeared into the waistband of his track pants. Oh yeah.

“Take off the towel, Rhiannon. You know you want to.”

What could it hurt? He couldn’t see her. “Okay.” She opened her eyes and stood by the side of the bed. Not giving herself time to talk herself out of this, she released the towel and let it fall to the floor. The terry fabric brushed her sensitive skin. Goose bumps danced down her arms and thighs. She quickly climbed into bed and propped her pillows up behind her.

“Are you naked?” His voice seemed deeper. Sexier.

“Yes.” She squirmed to try to find a comfortable spot. It was impossible. The weight of the sheet and blankets was almost too much for her to bear. Her skin felt impossibly sensitive and the ache between her thighs had grown to a steady throb. If she were alone, she’d probably break out her handy vibrator. “But I’m under the covers,” she felt compelled to add.

His laughter came over the line. “I like the fact that you’re so honest.”

Now she felt like a fraud. She hadn’t lied to him. Not exactly. But she hadn’t told him she was a witch. Nor had she told him about the candle magick spell she and her friends had performed in the back yard.

And why would she? They’d only been on one date. She didn’t run around telling people she was a witch. She’d waited a year to tell her two best friends. As for the spell, it probably hadn’t worked anyway. Her spells had about a fifty percent chance of failure or success.

The problem was deep in her gut she knew it had worked. There had been too much energy created by the three of them that night. It hadn’t even been triple the power she could have raised by herself. It was more an exponential thing. The whole being greater than the sum of the parts.