“Well, neither were you.” He peeled his wet shirt off and rung it out. “We’re done for the day.”
“Maybe I don’t want to be done,” I challenged.
He stalked toward me and I had to keep backing up until one of the bookcases bumped into me. He towered above me, his hair dripping with water.
He skimmed a finger down my cheek. “Why do you defy me?”
I swallowed thickly. “B-Because it’s fun.”
“I can think of many, many other things that would be more fun.”
My heart stuttered.
His eyes flicked down to my lips and he groaned. “You are my greatest fight and my longest battle.”
Before I could process what his words meant, his lips stole my breath.
He cupped my cheek in one hand and angled my head back. His lips devoured mine, that was the only way to describe it. He nibbled at my bottom lip and then his tongue gently nudged mine.
I felt like I was burning up from the inside out. He was going to kill me, I was sure of it.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pushing my body into his. He was hard where I was soft, but somehow, we still fit together.
My heart ached, though, knowing this wasn’t real.
All we were, all we could be, were stolen kisses, glances, and wishes for something more. But I was selfish enough to take all he’d give me while he was giving it. This feeling, this thing between us, was worth the pain.
My hands moved down his smooth chest, tracing the contours of his muscles.
He bit my bottom lip and I gasped. He sucked at it and then kissed me with more force, completely dominating, and I let him. He grabbed my legs and picked me up, pushing into my hips with his. My back pressed painfully into the bookcase behind me but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
My hands moved to his cheeks, the scruff there harsh beneath my palms.
I didn’t know how long we kissed for, but when we broke apart we were both out of breath and our eyes were glazed over.
“I hate wanting what I can’t have,” he confessed.
I brushed my fingers through his hair. “You can have me. I’m yours.”
He shook his head sadly. “No. No, I can’t.”
Chapter 24
THERE HAS TO BE A foot of snow out there,” I commented, looking out the French doors that opened onto the balcony.
Big, fat snowflakes fell heavily from the sky coating the ground in a fuzzy looking blanket. I itched to go outside and play in the snow, but we weren’t allowed out, and the only outdoor area Theo could sneak me into was the garden, which was currently protected from the weather with a shield so it was green all winter.
“I wish I could go out there,” I mused.
“Ew, why?” Theo asked, picking under his nails with his dagger. He must’ve been bored or maybe trying to distract himself, because if he was like me all I could think about was how good it felt when we kissed. “It’s cold, and wet, and disgusting.”
“Have you ever built a snowman?” I asked him.
“No.”
I gasped and swiveled away from the window. “Are you even human?”
“Um … no. I’m an enchanter.”
I leveled him with a glare. “Yeah, but you’re still human. Building a snowman is like a rite of passage or something.”
He sighed and tucked his dagger back into his jeans. “Never done it.”
I shook my head. “One day, you and I are building a snowman.”
He chuckled. “Whatever you say.”
“When’s your birthday?” I asked him.
He snorted. “What made you ask me that?”
I shrugged. “I realized I didn’t know when it was. You knew when mine was, it only seems fair I know yours.”
“December twenty-sixth,” he replied with a grumpy sigh.
“That’s two weeks from now,” I remarked.
“I know.”
“You don’t sound very happy about it.”
“I don’t much like my birthday.” He turned away, staring at the wall.
“Why?” I ventured.
He looked back at me with a resigned expression. “Any time something bad happens it’s always on my birthday.”
A pounding on my door had us both turning. Theo jumped up at the ready.
“Let me in,” demanded Adelaide.
Theo cursed under his breath and opened the door.
“Have I told you you’re a major pain in my ass?” he growled at his sister.
She smiled beatifically up at him. “Only once this week.”
She flopped down on my bed with her laptop and opened it up. “Get your cute butt over here, Mara. We need to pick out dresses for the masked ball.”
“Masked ball?”
“They have one every year on Christmas,” she explained. “It’s so much fun. Enchanters from the nearby cities come.”
“Is that safe with what happened in New York?”
She shrugged. “They might not let outsiders in this year or they might just heighten security. I don’t really know the details, nor do I give a flying fuck. All I care about is getting a smoking hot dress that makes Finn cum in his pants when he sees me.”
“La-la-la. I did not hear you say that.” Theo glared at his sister with his hands slapped over his ears.
She rolled her eyes. “Hide in the bathroom if you’re that sensitive. Now come on.” She patted the space beside her on my bed.
I lay down on my stomach and she brought up a website with the most beautiful dresses.
“I could slay that one.” She pointed to a jade-green dress with a thigh-high slit.
“No way. Nope. Not happening,” Theo growled over our shoulders.
She turned to glare at him. “Go away.”
“That color would be pretty on you.” I pointed to a deep-plum-red dress. It was beautiful but a lot less revealing.
“It’s pretty,” she agreed and kept scrolling. “Ooh, I like this one but I’m way too pale for it.” She was referring to a minty-green, long, chiffon skirt with a matching halter-top. “This one would be pretty on you.” She stopped at deep purple ombre dress.
I wrinkled my nose. “It’s pretty but not my style. How do we get these anyway? I thought this place was protected from humans?”
Adelaide looked at me like and shook her head. “We have our own delivery system. Anything you order comes through that. It’s also inspected before it’s brought to the manor, because … well, bad people ruin all the fun.”
She turned back to the computer and continued to scroll. “I have found my dress,” she sing-songed, and clicked on a cobalt-blue, mermaid-style gown. It was fitted, and I knew it would be stunning on her with her curvy figure. “I am so going to drop jaws.” She clicked her size and added it to the cart. “Now we need to find yours.” She pushed her laptop over to me. “You look. I have to go pee.” She hopped off my bed and scurried into the bathroom.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Theo told me.
I shook my head. “It sounds fun.”
He sighed and cracked a smile. “You only want to see me in a tux, don’t you, doll face?”
My cheeks colored. If I was as affected by Theo as is, I’d probably drop my panties in a heartbeat if I saw him in a tuxedo.
“It’s actually kind of fun. The food’s good.” He shrugged and scratched Nigel behind his ears.
I laughed. “The food’s always good here.”
“True,” he agreed. “I hate the socializing part, though.”