Enchantment (9 page)

That’s when he knew she was a glamour and a
damn good one. Not only were the looks and voice right on, she even
made the standard Graylee expressions. He didn’t care. Adrian
crushed her against him and locked her into a lip-bruising kiss. He
made love to her mouth. It was the only chance he’d get, and he was
taking it. He wouldn’t let her breathe if he could help it.

Glamour girl pulled back and gasped. “Do you
really think I’m going to just stand here and take this?”

Adrian maneuvered her away from the crowd and
pushed her up against the nearest wall. His words hissed inside her
ear. “Take it or leave now because tonight I’m getting what I
want.”

Her eyes flashed. Not the glint of club
lights reflecting from her widened stare, but actual sparks that
moved across the blue-green of her irises.

What sort of witch was stupid enough to mess
with him this way? Didn’t matter, Adrian would get vengeance
later—but first he’d get what he wanted.

He mashed against the Gray look-alike as
though trying to go through her to dry hump the wall. Gray groaned.
“God, I shouldn’t want you, but I do.”

Oh yes, she’d do nicely.

Adrian nibbled on Gray’s lower lip before
sliding his tongue inside her mouth. She tried to match his
movement, but it came across awkward, adding to the illusion of a
green girl of eighteen.

“Go easy,” she said, almost pleadingly, when
Adrian pulled back for breath.

“No.”

Her mouth opened slightly and she looked at
him all doe-eyed, tilting her head in silent appeal.

“This is wrong,” she said, shaking her head.
“Wrong, wrong, wrong. What’s wrong with me?”

Damn, this was a good hallucination. Adrian
would have to make a note of the potion he’d used and brew up
more.

“I feel like I’m on drugs,” Gray said. “Like
I have no control over myself.”

“
You
feel like you’re on drugs?”
Adrian laughed. “I’m looped, you hear me? And you know it.”

That elicited a sheepish grin.

“Oh, you like that, do you?” Adrian asked
huskily. He tried to sneer at the glamor girl. On his face it felt
more like a grin. “You know you’re going to pay for this, don’t
you? Once my head has cleared I’m going to hunt you down and make
you rue the day you pulled this ruse over me.”

Gray lifted her head. “Oh, I know. You live
for vengeance, Adrian Hedrick Montez.” Each word was like a verbal
caress. “You thrive on havoc and disorder. You live for revenge.
Haven’t you tormented me enough?”

“No,” Adrian said. His eyes darkened the way
hers had sparked. “Not nearly enough.” He leaned in to taste her
lips once more. He could have kissed her all night until both their
lips blistered and bruised, but Adrian had no intention of staying
in the Rex Room. He’d thought to bring home three girls, but this
one was worth all three combined. Even if she were a glamour.

* * *

Daylight forced her way through the bedroom curtain.
Adrian expected his head to be splitting in half when he woke, but
instead he felt an unfamiliar sense of elation.

The woman next to him had her face in the
pillow, wavy blonde hair fanned out across her bare shoulders.
Glamour or not, he wasn’t opposed to seeing her again. He might not
have been entirely conscious, but he remembered enough to know he’d
enjoyed her thoroughly.

She must be punished, naturally.

But first . . . perhaps another go?

Adrian nudged the woman’s shoulder. Nothing.
He nudged her rougher. She groaned. Adrian cleared his throat then
promptly choked on whatever words he was about to say when she
rolled over and looked up at him, blinking.

Graylee Perez shot up, clutching the sheet to
her bare chest.

Her eyes were wide, but surely not as wide as
Adrian’s. He was so unnerved his fingers turned to rubber and would
not snap. After three unsuccessful tries, he scooped his briefs off
the floor and yanked them on after vacating the bed.

Gray pulled at the sheet. As soon as she’d
freed it from the mattress and wrapped it around herself she leapt
out of bed. When she looked at Adrian it was obvious she expected a
comment of some sort, but for the first time in his life he was
speechless.

How the hell had this happened? It’s not as
though he’d gone after her.

“What kind of game are you playing, Gray?” he
finally asked. Was it his imagination, or was she admiring his
naked chest? Had to be his imagination.

“Game?” she asked, lower lip pouting. The
look of bewilderment that’d crossed her face eased into the corners
of her lips now turning upwards into a smile. She sauntered toward
him. “Isn’t this what you’ve been wanting all along?”

Once she was close enough to reach, Adrian
grabbed her by the arms. Gray squeaked in alarm, releasing her hold
on the sheet as she did so. Adrian snatched it before it could
slide down her body and end up in a puddle on the floor alongside
his tongue. He sat her forcefully down on the edge of the bed.
“What’s going on?”

Gray gave him the pout again, but this one
looked more angry than playful. “Great, I give up my virginity, and
you aren’t even pleased.”

“Virginity!” Adrian blasted.

Gray glanced down and blushed. “Well,
technically this body was already broken in, but never while I was
operating it, so yeah, consciously speaking.” She shrugged and
refused to meet his eyes.

Adrian sucked in a breath. Images and bits of
dialogue began sparking inside his mind in a quick succession of
snapshots. Gray glancing over her shoulder as she undressed,
climbing into bed, whispering,
“You’re my first.”

“
Like hell I am,”
Adrian had
replied.

“Why me?” Adrian asked now.

Gray’s lashes lifted as she looked up.
“Because I love you.”

Adrian’s jaw dropped.

Oh, hell. Love spell.

All you had to do to freak out even the most badass
warlock was mention the L word. No sooner had the words left Gray’s
lips before Adrian leapt into action. He rushed around the room
searching for the clothes Gray had so carelessly tossed off the
night before. The nimrod wouldn’t even look her in the eye after
hearing her confession.
Dope
. She knew he felt the same way.
He just didn’t have the courage to say the words aloud.

Look at him on his hands and knees rooting
around for her sundress.

Adrian chucked it on top of the bed. He flung
her bra and panties shortly behind the dress as though the articles
were toxic. “You need to get out of here.”

Gray tightened the sheet around her body. “So
that’s it. You got what you wanted, and now you’re throwing me
out?”

“Trust me; you don’t want to be here.”

Gray stomped over to her clothes. “You’re
right, I don’t.”

Adrian looked momentarily relieved until Gray
walked over and threw her arms around his neck. “Stop being a brute
for just a minute and admit last night was incredible.” She placed
a hand on his bare chest and glanced down. God, he was hot. Gray
began kissing Adrian’s chest. His skin was warm, as though he’d
recently basked in the sun.

Adrian made a choking sound in the back of
his throat. He grabbed Gray by both wrists, backed her up to his
bed, and sat her down. She thought he meant to join her, but he
stood a foot away and ran a hand through his hair.

Gray propped herself up on her elbows.
“What’s the matter?” What a weirdo. As if he hadn’t been after her
for the past year. Was this the guy version of playing hard to get?
Well, she’d already gotten him. She smiled to herself. And that
smile only appeared to unnerve him further.

“You do know this is a love spell, don’t
you?” Adrian asked. He closed his eyes slightly and leaned back as
though bracing himself for something.

“What’s love if not magical,” Gray said,
coyly. It amused her to see his frustration, but something niggled
on the back of her brain.

“I’m serious, Gray.”

Gray pushed her lips to the side and
considered him a moment. “We’re under a love spell?”

“No,
you’re
under a love spell.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

It did make sense. There was nothing wrong
with Gray’s memory, and her memory reminded her that she’d hated
Adrian less than twelve hours ago. “Hmm.”

Adrian was pulling on his fingers and looked
at her when she made the noise. “What?”

Gray looked him in the eye. “Did you put the
spell on me?”

“No way! I’m not opposed to using foul means
as you’re well aware, but I never wanted you this way.” He glanced
at the bed.

Oh God. Gray felt the blush filling her
entire face. “Can you please turn around?”

“Of course.” Under other circumstances it
might have been comical to see Adrian pivot so quickly to avoid
seeing Gray naked. Even after the snap of her fingers broke the
silence, he remained, back to her.

“So, this is a love spell?” Gray blinked
rapidly. No matter how fast her lashes fluttered the vision of
Adrian—beautiful, firm, handsome Adrian—didn’t change. Damn it.

Adrian turned and took a tentative step
toward her. “What’s it like?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Gray said. She
stormed out of the bedroom. She couldn’t stand it in there where
they . . . where she . . . where he . . . a moment longer! The most
amazing night of her life was a lie. The love surging through her—a
spell. It was a violation far more shattering than surrendering her
body to Adrian Montez. She’d surrendered her soul against her own
will.

Adrian followed in silence as she hurried
down the hall. Early that morning she’d stumbled through that same
hallway in the opposite direction, drunk on her need to surrender
herself to Adrian and make him believe she truly cared for him. All
night he hadn’t believed her, and she knew he wouldn’t until she
went all the way.

Adrian wasn’t to blame. He’d shared his
suspicion the moment it crossed his mind, but then he’d never lied
to her before, had he? That’s what she loved about him.

Damn it! She couldn’t think like that.

Gray yanked her sandals out of Adrian’s
outstretched hands, dropped them to the floor, and shoved her bare
feet inside. Gray suddenly stopped on her way to the door. She’d
been so caught up in the heat of the moment that she’d made a
second and even more stupid mistake.

She could feel the horror etched on her face
as she turned around. “Oh my God.” She wasn’t sure how to say the
next part without dying of shame, but the words tumbled out of her
lips, regardless. “We didn’t use protection.”

Horror of all horrors! Never mind all the
bumping and grinding. What if she’d created a little baby witch or
wizard with Adrian? She never would have been so careless or stupid
if she hadn’t been under a spell.

Gray’s eyes met Adrian’s. She didn’t know
whether her face had drained of all color or flamed the very
brightest red.

Adrian’s expression was unreadable, certainly
not the gloating jerk she would have expected. Most likely he
wanted a child even less than her. An avenger/performer/evil wizard
wasn’t exactly father material.

But for the briefest second, Adrian looked
wistful. Wouldn’t surprise Gray if the jerk took sick pleasure at
the thought of her knocked up with his child.

Adrian cleared his throat. “You have nothing
to worry about. I did a . . . protection spell.”

Gray clasped her hands around her abdomen.
Adrian’s eyes followed the movement, focusing on her middle. Gray
didn’t like the way he looked at her there.

“How could you have possibly managed a spell
like that when you were completely blitzed?” Gray demanded.

She wanted to believe it. She wanted to sigh
with relief that pregnancy was at least one thing she didn’t have
to worry about in this twisted mess.

Adrian met her eye again. “I did the spell on
myself before I went out for the evening.”

If Gray’s face hadn’t been flaming before it
was certainly red now. The bastard! If he hadn’t hooked up with her
that morning he would have hooked up with someone else, like that
blonde bimbo she’d seen thrusting her ass at him. Or her slutty
sidekicks. Or—sick—all three!

Gray narrowed her eyes. She wanted to throw
something at the scoundrel so badly.

“You make me sick,” Gray spat.

Adrian raised a brow. “So, you’re cured
now?”

Gray balled her hands into fists. “This spell
is the only thing preventing me from killing you at the
moment.”

Adrian chuckled at this. Funny how quickly
he’d recovered from any initial shock or shame.

Gray had to get out of there before she
really did attack him. Any physical contact with Adrian was a bad
idea. Very bad. It could end in physical harm or worse—clothes
coming off a second time. Gray hated the way that last scenario
warmed her thighs.

“Do you want coffee or something?” Adrian
asked. He’d retreated to the kitchen and begun rummaging through
the cupboards. Coffee had never sounded so good; not that Gray
would stick around sipping from a mug with Adrian after what had
happened.

“I thought you wanted me out of here,” Gray
said.

“Only because you might not want to be
here.”

“Well, for once you’re right. I want to get
the hell out of here and the hell away from you!” Gray stormed to
the front door. She turned abruptly in the doorframe. “Find out who
did this to me. Find out and make them reverse it.”

* * *

It was late morning as Gray made her way up the
Ramblas. Already the sun beat against the sidewalk and spread
warmth over her skin. She’d never felt heat like this, not even on
the hottest day of summer back home in the Pacific Northwest. Gray
liked being warm, but now her chances of staying on with
Señora
Contreras were ruined.