Page 23 of Hopeless Magic
For a second he only stares at the pretty talisman.
“How did you even get that?”
“Gotta be good at your job.” I cock my head at him, my long hair shifting with my every move. The tight red dress shifts with my body, like water clinging to my skin.
I know what I look like. And I know how to use my body. It’s my greatest weapon and my biggest torment. If I could be plain, average, and overlooked, perhaps my life would be different. But it isn’t and I am not.
“Not everyone is distracted by a pretty face.” His eyes narrow on me, igniting me with his attention. It’s like he’s daring me; pushing me to admit I was wrong.
To prove a point, I lift my leg and slip it over his lap, tilting into him as I settle onto his lean hips. At the feel of my body against his, he closes the small space that separates us. Without hesitating, his hands push up the smooth material of my dress, his palms skimming hot against my outer thighs. A shiver slips across my flesh. My fingertips run up his broad chest.
It’s different with him and I. I don’t know what it is, but I’m not a persona planning out her next haul with him. I can’t think straight when Ryder’s around. I couldn’t carefully plan my words for him even if I tried.
His heated gaze drops to my lips.
“Have you ever stolen from me, Zakara?”
The three of them were prisoners. I realized they had nothing to steal within the first minute of meeting them.
From beneath my lashes, I meet his gaze. Our mouths are so close I can taste his breath against my tongue.
“Do you have something worth stealing, my Prince?”
His head dips low. The wild pounding of his heart can be felt against my palm.
Faintly, his lips brush mine. My eyes flutter as a tingling feeling spirals through me. Then he stops, his eyes widening with alarm.
“I have a girlfriend.” The warmth of his fingers against my body slips away as he holds his hands out at his sides, as if he wants the gods to smite him down.
Right now, I kind of do too.
Neither of us move, though. I keep my hands planted against his chest as I stare into his captivating eyes. My mouth is just a breath away from his. His cruel mouth that said the worst possible thing at the worst possible time.
“Of course you do,” I finally say, my eyes fluttering closed before I shove hard against his shoulders and stand. My thighs clench together, remembering the way it felt to be pressed against him. “Next time,” my lips purse as I stare down at him, “do not interrupt my date.”
“You want me to let you get yourself into trouble? To get yourself hurt?”
My hands press high on my hips. A twisting smirk pulls at my lips and the mere sight of it causes confusion to cross his handsome face.
Ryder’s too handsome for his own good. Too charming. Too much of a prince for me to ever really care about him.
“I can take care of myself.”
His blonde brow arches high.
Slowly, I push my palm seductively down my own torso, my smooth skin kisses my fingertips. Ryder’s rapt attention takes in my every move. The soft, lavish material greets my palm as I skim down to the high slit against my thigh. His tongue licks against his lips as he watches me with a mixture of confusion and daring appreciation. My hand sneaks beneath my dress ever so slowly. With a quick flick of my wrist I pull the dagger from the holster between my legs.
The disgusted curling of his lips and the thin line between his brows almost makes me laugh out loud.
“Where the hell were you hiding that thing?”
The look on his face seems like I just revealed a detachable dick instead of a small knife.
He looks down my thin frame, his attention zeroed in on my thighs and the curve of my hips. The thighs and hips that were just pressed against him.
“I have many talents. Like slicing an assailant’s dick off without lifting a finger.”
I roll the blade in my hand, the dim lighting streaking across the glittering shine of it. Ryder’s strong legs shift awkwardly and he puts his hand over his crotch.
