Page 25 of Cursed Love
A cool hand touched her face, and a sigh slipped from her lips. “I don’t know, man. She was fine this morning.”
“Does she know you’ve been stalking her?” the man asked.
Stalking her? “Protecting. I’ve been protecting her, not stalking,” Ryan snapped at the man.
The man chuckled. “I’m not sure that’s how she’s going to see it.”
“Shut up and give me the damn towels. I need to cool her down,” Ryan told the man, and Brandy heard the strain in his voice. She could feel the weight of the wet towels as he laid them on her forehead and torso.
Ryan had been watching her? She sure as hell hadn’t seen him, but then again, he liked to use the lovely spell that kept him hidden. She should be pissed at him for being so close and not revealing himself. How many times had she been tempted to call him? Did he see all the times she had pulled her phone out? Had he entered her home at night and watched her undress?
The idea should repulse her, but the image of Ryan’s eyes on her naked body caused goose bumps to form along her skin. Something about this man made her want to throw caution to the wind, which was crazy because she was not that girl.
It had taken Greg months to get close enough for her to accept a date, not to mention the six months that passed before she allowed him to see her naked. Even after that, it was another two months before they became intimate. She was not sure how Greg had stuck it out that long. Maybe she was a challenge to him, one he no longer cared to love.
The memory of the pretty woman and how she’d proclaimed her love came to mind. It was obvious their relationship was not new.
“Wait for me in the other room,” Ryan said.
“Don’t go all creeper on me.” The man laughed, then grunted. “Ouch!”
Her fever must have been really bad because she could swear she heard a low growl.
“Out!” Ryan snapped before a door shut.
She wished she could talk to him, that she could ask how he knew to come to her. What was wrong with her? Who was the other man? Had she really heard a growl? How had Ryan gotten in? Why was he taking her clothes off—
Her heart stuttered with fear and confusion. Why was he taking off her clothes? Her bottoms lowered, sliding down her thighs and off her legs. What was Ryan doing?
He stopped and cupped her cheek. “Shhh… Sweetheart, it’s me, Ryan.” His cool lips touched her forehead, and her heart hammered away for a different reason. “You’re burning up. I need to cool down your body. I’m not going to hurt you.”
She moaned in response. It was the only sound she could force from her mouth.
“I’m going to go draw a cold bath. I’ll be right back,” Ryan told her and kissed her temple before stepping away.
She heard him shuffling through her room before the noises moved toward her bathroom. Brandy’s attention returned to her body. She felt paralyzed. The heat claiming her was like no other fever in her life. Tears trickled from her shut lids as fear overwhelmed her.
“Shhh… don’t cry. I don’t know what’s happening, but we’ll figure it out.”
Ryan gently pulled off the rest of her clothes before lifting her into his arms. His clothes against her sensitized skin hurt like sandpaper. He carried her the short distance to the bathroom, where he placed her in the filled tub. He propped her up until the cold water reached the sides of her breasts. She did not slide down without effort.
Placing a hand over her head, he muttered a spell. “I’ll be right back.”
His magic swirled around her as her lids fluttered from feelings of exhaustion and the fear of drowning.
Chapter 11
Closing the bedroom door behind him, Ryan met Peter’s eyes.
“What’s wrong with her?” Peter asked.
Ryan shook his head. “I’m not sure. I did a healing spell and hope it helps.”
He sat on the couch next to his friend and dropped his face in his hands. Ryan was both relieved and terrified. He had been out walking with Peter when fear hit him, knocking him onto his knees in the middle of the sidewalk. It was a punch to the gut, sucking every bit of oxygen from him.
He had decided it did not help matters to keep his distance and choose to watch from afar until she got her powers under control. She needed him, and there was not a person alive who could have kept him from her. It was in that moment he was thankful for their connection. Ryan had used it to track her down, first finding traces of her in the street, then finally at her apartment.
They’d knocked a few times, but she didn’t answer. Fearing a neighbor would call the police, he shielded himself and Peter and used a spell to get inside. When they entered her apartment, they heard a whimper. Ryan ran to her bedroom and found her on the bed, drenched in sweat and passed out. His heart clenched in his chest. It was then he knew he could not fight the insane connection between them. Losing her to whatever was happening was not an option either.
