Page 2 of Charmed and Alarmed

Humming, Leni takes the last sip of her drink and sets it on the bar behind her, gazing at me expectantly. “Are you going to offer to buy me another? It’s only polite. Haven’t you heard I’m a struggling artist?”

“I have.” Again, working of their own accord, my eyes drop to her thighs. Even covered in black, shimmery tights, I can see the evidence of her athletic training in the lean, toned muscles there. What I wouldn’t give to see the rest of her. Christ, I bet she’s wild in bed. In no universe can I imagine a woman like this not giving me a run for my money.

Swallowing back the impulse to push this further, I lift my hand, signaling the bartender to bring her another. Leni’s lips curl into a dangerous little smirk. “Thank you.”

She looks over her shoulder toward the stage, and I follow her gaze. The bass player is glaring at me. “Just a friend, huh?” I ask with a chuckle, turning back to her.

Leni lifts a shoulder in a delicate shrug. “For now. I’m sure he’s hoping his musical ability will impress me right into bed.”

“How’s that going for him?” Behind me, the music starts up again, and this time, the bass is noticeably off rhythm. I feel myself grinning as I lean in to hear her reply.

This close, I can smell apples on her skin, see the tiny smudge of mascara beneath her left eye, and certainly don’t miss the way her breath catches as I draw closer. “Are you asking as a family friend? Or are you asking as a man hitting on a woman in a bar?”

Part of me, the sensible one that doesn’t want Bram Vogel to cut off my dick, knows the answer I should give to that question. Better, more responsible, to let this—whatever this is—pass.

The other part, the impulsive one that’s so unexpectedly and deeply affected by this woman, is downright eager to see just how far I can push this.

The band’s shitty music swells over the chattering crowd, and I have to lean in close for her to hear my reply. “If I was hitting on you, you’d know it, princess.”

It brings no small amount of satisfaction to see the pretty pink flush that’s coloring her cheeks when I pull back, betraying her inexperience. Even with it, Leni stares right back at me, a challenge blazing in her dark eyes.

“That’s a shame,” she replies simply, just as the bartender sets another glass of champagne on the bar beside her. Taking it, she gets to her feet, and even in heels, the top of her head barely comes to my nose. My heart rockets into my throat as her hand finds my bicep, and she leans in, speaking into my ear now, her warm breath ghosting over my neck. “Thank you for the drink, Mr. Ellinger. I’m sure my father would be ever so relieved to know you’re looking out for me.”

Then, without another word, her hand leaves my arm, and she steps away, vanishing into the crowd.

For a moment, I’m rooted to the spot, my heart beating so hard it seems to muffle the noise of the bar around us.

“Holden!” I look around automatically, blinking in surprise at the sight of my date. She must have only been gone a few minutes, but now, she looks different. Now, she lookswrong. Her hair is too light. Her legs are too long. Her breasts are too big. Her voice is too bright.

Nothing about this woman bears any resemblance to Lenora Vogel, and while ten minutes ago I was interested in fucking her, now…

“I’m sorry,” I croak, looking back over my shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of dark hair and shimmering gold in the crowd, but coming up empty. Heart sinking, I look back to the woman I arrived with, who is gazing at me, obviously bemused. “I need to get going. Have a good night.”

She blinks. “What? I thought you wanted me to come with you!”

Ignoring Janine’s furious gaze, I lift my hand to signal the bartender for a check, still mentally scrambling to make sense of the brief interaction that just occurred. Could that really have been Lenora Vogel? Bram’s little girl? Obviously it was, and yet, sometime while I wasn’t paying attention, she became someone else.

I’m barely aware of my surroundings as the check appears before me. Without so much as glancing at the amount, I sign it, shoving the small clipboard back over the bar, and get to my feet, turning my back on Janine and all hopes of getting laid tonight.

The Lenora Vogel I remember was a hyper, blur of a girl, talking a mile a minute and constantly picking fights with her parents. The woman I met tonight was calm, controlled, and undoubtedly aware of her beauty. There isn’t a question in my mind that she’s used to getting attention, and I was too thrown off to hide my attraction to her.

Jesus, I really was attracted to her. Desperately. If she were anyone else, I would have made it my personal mission to fuck her within an inch of her life.

The crowd thins out as I near the door, and thankfully, there isn’t a single person waiting in line for the coat check. Everyone is on the dance floor or at the bar, preparing for the clock to strike midnight, but the only thing on my mind is going home. Alone.

“I’ll bring it around,” the valet tells me as I hand him my ticket, the late-December wind cutting through my coat as I step up to the curb. “There are drivers on call if you need one.”

“I had one drink. I’m fine,” I assure him, shoving my hands into my pockets. He heads off without further questions, leaving me alone with my preoccupation with Lenora Vogel.

The street is busy for this late at night, scattered with groups darting between brightly lit clubs, their laughter too loud and their steps unsteady. Vapor from my breath twists through the icy air, and to keep warm, I turn, intending to pace up and down the sidewalk until my car arrives.

I don’t get far.

Only a dozen yards away, wrapped in a dark coat and standing on the curb, is Leni.

My heart stalls.

She hasn’t noticed me. Her face is illuminated by the screen on her phone, and as I watch, she sighs, shoving it back in her pocket.

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