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Audrey
Onmywaytothe hotel, I spotted Wes as he wrapped up what looked like an intense conversation with Jocelyn. His stride was long and purposeful as he walked away. She must’ve told him about the cave. I broke into a sprint, hoping to reach him before he put too much distance between us.
Somehow, and these were things I’d learned not to question a long time ago, my grandma heard about the condition of the cave before the tour group even made it halfway back to the hotel. I was not kidding about the trees whispering in her ear.
She thought it would be a good idea if she held down the shop with Ella, so I could go up there to see things for myself, preferably with Wes. I agreed. For magic reasons. Not because I wanted to spend time with him.
The heel of my strappy sandal caught a crack in the sidewalk at just the wrong angle. I let out a squeak of surprise as I stumbled. Wes turned, catching me around the waist before I could fall. I planted my hands flat against his hard chest. His fingers burned with that emerald glow as he tightened his hold on me, and I barely resisted rubbing myself against him like a cat.
A gentle drizzle surrounded us.
“Hi.” His voice was soft and his eyes were the color of dark chocolate melted over an open flame. My inner walls clenched in response.
“Hi.” Oh, God. I sounded like a porn star greeting the pizza delivery boy.
He pushed my hair over my shoulder. Little snaps of electricity zapped my skin, making my nipples tighten to painfully hard points. Who knew I’d be into getting shocked? His spicy sandalwood scent filled my senses as he leaned into me. His lips brushed the shell of my ear, and I sucked in a sharp breath. He smiled.
“Your rain is drawing a crowd,” he whispered.
I turned my gaze to the left, where, sure enough, a small group of people had gathered. They whispered to each other as they pointed at the two of us. A guy with a green mohawk and a chain wallet fumbled with his phone, no doubt hoping to catch the phenomenon on video. A few of them wore the long hippie skirts that Brooke favored, while others went for the all-black, multiple-piercings look. They were the type of tourists who came here specifically for the legend, and we’d just given them their money’s worth.
“Oops.” I dropped my hands from Wes’s chest and took a step back. “Maybe we should set some ground rules about touching in public.”
Even though I’d released him, it took a full minute for the water to begin evaporating. The flutters in my stomach didn’t want to go away, either. They multiplied, spreading through me, lighting me up from the inside out. I wasn’t the only one affected, judging by the impressive outline in Wes’s pants. The hunger continued to build until all I could think about was wrapping my legs around him while he drove his cock deep inside me. My throat had gone impossibly dry. This energy between us was powerful. Consuming. If we weren’t careful, there was a good chance we’d end up setting the world on fire.
“If you keep staring at me like that, these tourists are going to see a hell of a lot more than some water droplets.” His voice was gruff, and I wanted to feel the vibration of it against my thighs as he buried his face between my legs. “Christ.” He fisted his hands in his hair. “Baby, look at me.” I raised my gaze to his. “It’s just the magic. Let the energy flow out of you.”
I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths in and out, releasing the thread of power with each exhale until I came back down. “I need to figure out how to get a grip on this.”
“Trust me, it’s no fucking picnic for me either, but we’ll work on it.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
More practicing would mean more touching. While I would’ve been happy to go the rest of my life without laying so much as another finger on Wes, forgoing the use of our magic wasn’t an option. We hadn’t been given these powers for funsies. It was only a matter of time before the curse would attempt to get inside our heads. Physical attacks wouldn’t be far behind. Then we’d be trapped like insects under glass and the world would go dark while it ripped the earth apart under our feet. We had to find a way to bind it again before it got that far.
The curse had made an appearance at my grandma’s house on Sunday, nothing more than a weak wisp of smoke. But it wanted me. It wasn’t strong enough, but it wanted to grab me by the wrist and throw me over the cliffs. I knew that as sure as I knew my own face.
For now, it would continue to wait. Gathering strength. Feeding on fear and mistrust wherever it could find it. This was only the beginning.
“Where were you off to in such a hurry?” Wes’s voice pulled me out of my dark thoughts. I blinked as I refocused my attention.
“I wanted to see you.” When his face lit up, I shook my head. “Not like that. My grandma heard the cave has been damaged and thinks we should go up there and check it out. Today, if you can, since she and Ella are keeping an eye on things for me.”
“Not if you’re wearing those shoes.” He nodded at my strappy gold sandals.
“We can stop by my place to change. There’s a trail behind my condo.”
He gave me an utterly dirty look that sent a flood of heat through my core. “Are you sure you can handle getting undressed while I’m only one room away?”
Such an egotistical ass. “As long as I don’t touch you. Which should be easy, considering how well I’ve managed to stay away from you for the last four years.”
That wiped the smile off his face. “Fine. I have something I need to take care of at the office first, though. I’ll swing by in thirty minutes.”
“Sounds good.” As I turned to leave, I paused and glanced over my shoulder. “Since you’re going to the office, why don’t you bring the paperwork to sign over my spring?”
He scowled, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. By the time I got back to my place, two different people had stopped me to ask if I’d been making out with Wes in front of the hotel. Small towns. They loved their gossip.
Sadly, the rumor that I’d shoved my tongue down Wes’s throat got a lot more traction than the earthquake. No one had stopped by the shop to ask me about that all week. Either they assumed it was another thing the town leaders had cooked up to drive tourist dollars, or they simply didn’t want to believe. Even though I would’ve thought an ancient curse and magic would be a lot easier to buy than the idea of me making out with Wes Latham. But soon enough the town wouldn’t have a choice in whether or not they wanted to believe the legend. The curse would make itself known before long.
