Page 31 of Tricky Magic
Is she seriously trying to get a cell signal?
“You know there is no service in this town,” Ros called out to her. She only turned and glared at him over her shoulder.
“This fucking town and its fucking dense forest… I am trying to call a cab,” she mumbled.
“There are also no cabs in this town.” He got closer, and she whirled on him with a spark in her eyes, as if this was all his fault. He held his hands up. “Look, I haven’t had any drinks tonight, and I’m heading back to our street. I can give you a ride.”
Not that he wanted to give her a ride—the thought of being in close quarters made his skin feel tight—but she couldn’t be left alone. He didn’t trust that some of the wolven in the bar wouldn’t find out what had happened and blame her for it. She tried her phone one more time before she hung her head.
“Fine,” she said with a sigh. It also seemed like the last thing she wanted to do.
Ros gestured toward his truck, and she gave him an eye roll that he was learning was a signature gesture.
“Yeah, princess, I’m a cliché,” he replied and opened the passenger door for her. She bared her teeth at him and his truck, then offered him her keys.
“I would rather take mine home, seems safer than that thing.”
Ros glared at her but took the keys; he didn’t want to argue, and he wanted to get rid of her as quickly as possible. He opened the passenger door and held out his hand to steady her. She swatted it away and slid in pretty easy for the amount of alcohol she’d had. He breathed in the night air deeply, held it, and then blew it out. Powers churned under his skin, and he told them to calm themselves.
It’s only a drive home.
With one last pause and a request to the universe, he opened the driver-side door and got in. Pain instantly greeted him as the steering wheel stabbed him in the chest and his knees slammed into the dashboard.
“Fucking Hel,” Ros cursed. “How the fuck do you drive like this?”
She only gave him a bored look as she watched him try and adjust the seat. He reached for any lever he could find, but buttons greeted him instead—it was a new SUV and fully electric. The seat whirred as it slowly freed Ros from the confines of the dashboard.
Ros glared back at her and realized she wasn’t buckled in. He reached over and grabbed the seatbelt, trying his best not to touch her, but as his knuckles grazed the skin under her collarbone, the air quickly became thick with electricity. The buckle snapped in place, and his powers began to burn under his skin again. His magic and dick were at odds with each other, and he wondered what she was feeling as she stared straight ahead, eyes wide, her hands on her knees as if she was afraid to move. He took in her profile: a small nose, pouty lips, and freckles that spread across her cheek. How could someone so beautiful have his powers feeling threatened? Chiding himself, he remembered that there were plenty of beautiful and threatening creatures. Maybe he didn’t want to believe this one was the evil kind.
She slowly turned toward him, and as their eyes met, her breathing became audible. Glancing down at her lap, thoughts of what he’d interrupted began to creep into his mind. She pressed her thighs together under his hard gaze, and it made him wonder if she’d gone back to the bedroom after he’d left. What would it be like to see her hand disappear under the covers? Did she even use covers? Would she just lay there on full display with no need to hide as she touched herself? He imagined how her hand would travel over her stomach and down her center, parting herself and gathering up the wetness there.
Ros turned the key aggressively, trying to rid himself of the dirty thoughts plaguing him, and the SUV rattled in response. The loud noise broke him out of his vision and hid the low growl that came from somewhere deep inside himself, a place he’d forgotten about. Turning the key again, it started, and he didn’t give it time to warm up as he quickly put it in reverse, desperate to get home.
Without looking, he could feel her trying to gather herself. Her head was turned toward the window and he could hear her steadying her breathing.
They arrived on their street within ten minutes without one word uttered. No music, no other looks, only crackling hot energy. Ros was desperate to put distance between them—or not put distance between them. It was so frustrating. The attraction was there, but he didn’t know what she was up to. He didn’t even know her name.
Her driveway loomed ahead of them, and Ros let out a breath.
We survived.
As Ros pulled up in front of her door, she got out without even waiting for him to put it in park. He turned the SUV off and stormed after her; he wouldn’t allow her to be so rude. Ros waited for her to get to the front door. She groaned and turned, scowling as she took three bratty steps toward him. She reached for the keys, but he yanked them out of reach—which was easy with how fucking short she was. She made some sort of screeching bird sound and jumped for them.
“Maybe if you learned some manners, princess, things wouldn’t be so hard.” He chuckled at her.
“Don’t call me that!” She reached for the keys again. He lowered them and let her grasp them in her small hand. Before letting go, he hunched down to her height and smirked in her face.
“I can call you whatever I want. If you need help next time, you know where to find me. And I don’t mean for a ride home.”
He winked at her and let go of the keys, turning his back without another word.
13
Ellea
The flush that crept up Ellea’s neck was pure fire. It took the hum of the forest to creep past the ringing in her ears for her to find use of her body. She closed her gaping mouth and headed inside her empty cabin.
She groaned as no lights greeted her when she entered. “Really feeling the love here.”
