Page 44 of Love Spell

“Yes, I do.”

“But we don’t know if that’s real.”He looked at Timo.“We can never know if it’s real if you don’t go back to him.”

“Iknow it’s real.I know what I feel.”

“Sure.”Noah’s shoulders sagged.“Because you’re just the kind of guy who’s super in touch with his emotions and skilled at communicating them to other people.”

Timo continued, “And I’ve got four weeks to prove it to you.”

What did he mean by that?

There was a pause while they only looked at one another in a kitchen basted in lusciously meaty aromas.

At last, Noah said, “You really think you can?”

“I’ll have a bloody good go.”Timo smiled.

To his own shock, Noah laughed, breaking razor-edged threads of tension that tracked between them.“You know, you just about swapped your Russian accent for an English one there.”

* * *

For another long moment, Timo simply looked at him, Noah looking anywhere else while Timo tried to catch his eye.Because who could resist Timo’s eyes?Noah, apparently.

“I still think it started with a spell,” Noah said quietly.“At least it’s possible.Wouldn’t it be arrogant to assume that somethingisn’tpossible just because we don’t understand it?”

“Does it matter?”

“What?”

“Well …” Timo gave a little shrug.“Say I’m under a spell.I pissed off the wrong man and he’s taken out his anger on me.So what?Couldn’t we find an opportunity to turn a curse into a blessing?”

Noah chewed his lip.

“Tell you what.”Timo stepped closer, right up to him, and Noah did meet his eyes.“If you still doubt that I’m right for you by the time you’re leaving for the States, I’ll go back to him.I’ll go back and say I’m sorry and that can be that.If it’s really what you want in a month’s time.”

Except that it won’t happen because you’ll be mine by then.I’ll never, never, never go back.

Noah let out a held breath and again looked away, surely overwhelmed by Timo’s nearness and pure magnetism.Timo could tell Noah was resisting the impulse to rip off Timo’s partly open shirt right now by the way he kept looking at other things, his face flushed.

“Okay,” Noah said.“But then you’ll go back to him?When my time here is up?”

“If that’s what you want.”Timo inclined his head, all but turning it into a bow.

Noah nodded and sighed.“I … guess I’ll go change.Thanks for cooking.”

“My pleasure.I’ll just get the noodles in and finish everything up now.”Timo offered his sweetest smile.Too bad it was wasted since Noah was already turning away.It was a real charmer, too.

Not to worry.Noah would see plenty of it over their dinner date.

16

Timo continued with his charade throughout dinner — all nice, smiley, asking Noah questions that were interested, sometimes personal, but never invasive or crossing lines.Noah wished he would make suggestive comments or boast about his latest marathon.Just so Noah was Noah and Timo was Timo and the world wasn’t perfect but it kept running on the same track as usual.

With Timo in dress shirt and slacks, Noah didn’t feel that he could change into jeans and a T-shirt.He’d followed along, only removing his tie and jacket, washed face and hands, and returned to accept a glass of wine and dinner.

Thanks to the sun setting and mood-lighting with dimmers on and the glittering skyline beyond huge windows, the atmosphere was uncomfortably romantic, not helped by a hushed background of classical music.No candles, but there was a crystal vase of orange calla lilies on the table.Nothing wrong with having flowers on a table, though they hadn’t been there that morning.Noah only stole glances at them when Timo wasn’t looking his way.They were quite arresting, the thick bunch of blooms reminiscent of leaping flames at the top of their dark green stems in the narrow vase.The whole display looked like a burning torch.

It was the meal itself, not Timo’s supposed charm or the alcohol, that helped Noah calm down.Noah couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a proper, all homemade, sit-down-with-another-human-being meal at home.

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