Page 59 of Enchanted Hero
She stretched her lips into a thin smile. “I’m kidding. What happened last night?”
A furrow appeared between his brows, and for a moment he seemed almost indecisive. An instant later, he straightened. “I’d like to apologize.”
Memories of the previous night flooded her, and her grin faded. “You’d better apologize. You locked me in your bedroom!”
“Ah, yes. I’m not sorry for that.”
“Well, I don’t want your apology – Wait, what?”
His face turned stern. “You were trying to jump overboard. I’m not sorry I stopped you.”
She opened her mouth, closed it. “You might be in charge of my company, but you’re not responsible for me. I wasn’t going for a midnight swim. I was trying to save people!”
“It was unnecessary,” he rumbled. “The passengers are safe.”
“I know.” She held up her phone. “I read the article, or rather articles, about how a mysterious man saved the family, then disappeared. The same man from the tornado and the magic show.”
“What makes you think it’s the same person?” he countered. “Not that I believe there was a man in the tornado.”
“It’s not just my opinion.” She scrolled through the articles. “Experts analyzed the videos, and they believe the same man performed all three rescues.”
“People are seeing what they want to see.” He gestured toward the small screen. “A good Samaritan saved a family from a fire. It happens all the time. He’s probably an off-duty fire-fighter.”
It was a possibility, far more logical than some sort of magic, and yet it seemed too perfect. It was like Alexander was trying to fit a square puzzle piece into a circular opening, yet no matter how hard he pushed, it never quite fit. “Then how did he disappear?”
“The news story said he jumped into the water. That’s hardly disappearing.” He waved off the phone. “He probably didn’t want all the attention, so he swam to where he could escape.”
She held up her hands. “How? It’s not a public beach where he could vanish into a crowd of people. The helicopters had search lights everywhere. They would’ve seen him.”
“Maybe he got on a boat.”
“The only boat next to him wasours.”
They glared at each other, a perfect match of clenched fists and board-straight postures. “Why are you so interested in him?” he demanded. “Isn’t it enough the people are safe?”
“Of course. But someone saved me, and I just want to understand it. Understandhim.” Her voice softened. “What really happened last night?”
He hesitated for a sliver of a second. Was he trying to formulate an excuse – or decide what to reveal? “There’s not much to tell. After I left you, I called the authorities. We turned the ship around and returned to port, and by then, you were fast asleep. I didn’t feel comfortable dropping you off after you’d had so much to drink, so I brought you here. That’s it.”
The story sounded logical, likely even, with one problem. It wasn’t true. “You didn’t turn the boat around immediately. I yelled for minutes, and we were in the same position.”
“Can you say that with certainty?” he postured. “You drank a lot last night.”
That was true. Memories were foggy, and it wasn’t impossible her perception of time had suffered. She rubbed her forehead, smoothing against the piercing pain, the migraine rising with every word. His argument was far more reasonable than him somehow having powers. Chances were a random person saw the fire and saved the family, slipping away to avoid unwanted attention.
“Of course, there’s the other possibility.”
She looked up. “The other possibility?”
“You were around at all the saves.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “Maybe it’s you.”
Even she couldn’t stop the smile. “You figured me out. I’m actually a six-foot three wizard with magical powers.” She scrunched up her nose. “You do realize I’m a woman, don’t you?”
His gaze smoldered. “I do.”
All at once, sizzling heat electrified the atmosphere, pure fire in the cool morning. She cleared her throat, wincing as another dagger-like pain sliced her temple.
He frowned. “Are you all right?”
