Epilogue
Dalton's Rule of Magic #15: The show must go on.
Melina looked up as Rhys walked into the house. He sighed as he put down his briefcase and loosened his tie, everything about him radiating exhaustion. Concerned, she strode toward him. He smiled when he saw her. “Hey, Ladybug.”
“Hi, yourself,” she said, giving him a hug and a light kiss.
He growled when she pulled away, cupping her head and pressing her close for a longer, deeper set of kisses. Before she knew it, he was backing her into their bedroom and going at her clothes with a determination that made her laugh.
“And here I thought you were tired.”
He tsked. “I'm never too tired for this.”
Once he had her naked, he laid her back on the bed, smoothed his hand over her stomach, then froze. He leaned in closer, pressing her thighs apart to get a better view. With the lightest of touches, he ruffled the dainty curls that had been shaped into a heart.
“Wow.”
She pursed her lips. “That's it? Wow? Do you have any idea how traumatic it is for a woman to get waxed?”
“No.” He rubbed her lower stomach in soft, soothing circles. “If it's uncomfortable, then stop doing it.” Kissing her stomach, he slowly skimmed his way down to her core and nuzzled her. “But I have to say, this heart's damn sexy.”
“Then it's worth a little embarrassment to have it done.”
He raised a questioning brow. “Just what happens at these wax places?“
She pushed his head down. “Would you stop talking and get back to what you were doing?”
“Yes, ma'am,” he said. As always, he put his best effort forward with magical results.
An hour later, they were lying content in each other's arms when Melina remembered. “Lucy called.”
“And?” There was no mistaking the wariness in Rhys's tone.
“She said the dean is bugging her about doing another presentation with Jamie. Apparently, they made quite an impression the first time.”
“How fast did she say no?”
“Actually, I was surprised. She said yes. She grumbled about it the whole time, though. She said she's trying to soften the dean up so she'll get some extra grant money.”
Rhys snorted. “Soft isn't really Lucy's thing. She's got the hots for the professor.”
Melina gasped. “Are you kidding? Lucy and Jamie? No way. That's like…like putting together—”
“What?” Rhys questioned. “A footloose professional magician and a small-town entomologist?”
He tugged on her arm, and she curled back into him. “I suppose anything's possible, but that would be truly shocking.”
“As shocking as Max having the hots for Grace?”
“What?” she shrieked. She shoved him away, stood, and slipped into her robe. After tying her belt, she propped her hands on her hips. “Okay, now you're just playing with me.”
Rhys threaded his fingers behind his head and shrugged.
“When?”
“The night after you accosted me on stage wearing nothing but your bikini. Grace called the theater to check in with you, and Max answered the phone. I have no idea what was said or if and when they've ever met in person. All I know is that he's been walking around in a daze, muttering her name. He's reverted back to his old ways, nothing like the new-and-improved Maxwell Dalton, magician and host of the getting-to-be-quite-famous Dalton Theater.”
Still trying to imagine Grace with Max, or heaven forbid, Lucy with Jamie, Melina walked to her dresser and touched the little box she'd set there earlier. Smiling wickedly, she decided to wait a little while longer before she gave it to him. “Well, I suppose he deserves some time off for good behavior. Let's not forget we're together because of him.”
Rhys snorted. “Let's not forget he's the reason I didn't get into your pants when you were sixteen.”
“Like that would have happened.” When he stared at her, she smirked. “Okay, it would've definitely happened. But who can blame him for being jealous of you? He felt bad and tried hard to make amends.”
Eyes wide, Rhys stood and waved his palm in front of her face. “Hello? This is the same man who copped to taking an ax to Metamorphosis.”
Melina smacked his hand away. “Impulsive, but determined. He knew you weren't going to be happy with Seven Seas so he made sure it didn't happen. Then he worked like a madman to get you guys signed at the Portofino Casino. You both did.”
“I suppose,” Rhys grumbled. “In any case, the meeting with the attorneys to nail down the final contract went well today.” He lit up. Rubbing his hands together, he started untying her belt. “Now I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor—at home and in my bed with my own little sex dynamo—while he has to slog through standing-room-only performances in the newest luxury resort in Vegas.”
Melina rolled her eyes. “Yes, I'm sure all that fame and female attention will get old eventually.” He knelt in front of her, peeled back her robe, and kissed her stomach. She ran her hand through his hair and peered down at him. “Sex dynamo, huh?”
“Hey, you're the one who bought the crotchless underwear and crop. I was just your hapless victim.”
She jumped on him and pushed him down at the same time, digging her fingers into his ribs even as he did exactly what she wanted him to. Flipping her onto her back, he covered her with his body and pinned both wrists above her head with one hand. “I love that this is your favorite position,” he whispered, then laughed when she tried to knee him. He easily deflected the blow, pushed her legs apart, and rubbed the hardest part of him against the softest part of her.
They moaned together, and he took that as his cue to get busy with his free hand.
“Before you—” She gasped when he sucked her nipple into his mouth, then flicked it with his tongue. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she tugged to get his attention. “Before you distract me with sex, can I ask you a serious question?”
He groaned dramatically and dropped his forehead lightly on her chest. “If you must, but make it quick. I have a wife to satisfy.”
“Be honest. Do you have any regrets about leaving the act?”
He sighed then met her gaze. “Just one,” he said.
She jerked in surprise, inadvertently rubbing against his erection. He bit back a moan even as he shook his head. “Don't look like that. I love my life. I love our home, love being able to travel with you when we want, love that I get to manage my brother's flourishing career and charge him an obscene amount of money for the tricks that I invent for him. Most of all, I love that I can have all that and you can be happy studying your bugs at UNLV. I love you.”
“Then what's your one regret?”
He lowered his head and whispered in her ear.
She smiled. This time when she rubbed against him it was deliberate. “That's okay. That pair of cuffs has bad memories, anyway. Think how fun it'll be to find our new favorite pair.” It shouldn't be hard, she thought, given the assorted restraints that now waited on her dresser. But for now, she wanted only to enjoy his touch.
THE END