Page 20 of Hopeless Magic
She sounds so full of knowledge. Dangerous and sexy knowledge.
“Well, this isn’t aboutgrinding harmony.”
“I said nothing about grinding. Push the dirty thoughts from your head.” Her white teeth sink into her lower lip before she becomes serious once more. “What is it about? What do you get out of it?”
The pink and purple shades of the sky hold my attention as I carefully ignore her invasive question.
I don’t even know what I get out of it any more. They can’t change the fact that my father’s dead …
She only lets a beat pass before carrying on to the next topic.
“Do you remember Mackel?”
A warm feeling spreads through me at the mention of his name.
Mackel Alexander was my first kiss. And Gods above, could that boy kiss.
“Yeah, I think so,” I say as vaguely as possible.
“You’re a dirty liar, Zakara Storm.” Her smile lights up her emerald eyes and I can’t help but laugh. “He’s our liquor supplier. Alcohol has made him very successful. He asked about you.”
“When?” I hate how quickly that reply came.
“When he dropped off our order this afternoon. He saw you and asked about you.”
Suspicion claws through me. Her words are carefully aimed. I can feel something coming. Something she’s already put into place.
“What did you say to him?”
“I said he could ask for himself. Tonight. When he picks you up.”
My nails bite into my palm as I fist my hand tightly.
“I cannot go on a date tonight. There are three men waiting for me. I can’t just prance around as if they aren’t important.”
“Arethey important to you?” Her pale blonde brow arches as high as it’ll go as she looks down at me. I feel like she’s the adult once more and I’m just the small child complaining about the chores she’s asking me to do.
Not that the three of them are chores … or that I’ddothem …
“Perhaps you should let the three men see you with another to make them see your value. If they have no interest in a beautiful woman, I promise you someone else will.” A pleased smile rests on her lips.
As if mechanically, my eyes roll at her. She was always doing this. Always looking for a good man to steal me away from this corrupted fairytale my life somehow turned into.
But I don’t need a man.
I have me.
“I’m not going—”
“Zaraka Storm.” His smooth, deep voice vibrates through my every pore. It’s the most masculine sound I’ve ever heard.
Yeah. Eat shit, Darrio. Your sexy voice has been replaced.
At the bottom of the steps stands a familiar man. The smile on his face is so perfect I have a hard time looking away to admire the rest of him. Golden, depthless eyes shine with kindness. Broad shoulders hold his posture ever so straight. Hard muscles chisel down into lean hips.
“I guess I filled out a little since we were kids, huh?” His words try to pull my appreciation away from his strong body and it takes everything in me to deter my gaze. Again, my attention lands on that gorgeous smile.
Slowly he climbs the few steps until he’s just in front of me.
