Forever Magic
Page 22
Overly warm, Ryanne put the back of her hand to her sweaty brow. Maybe she really was coming down with something.
Screw it. She was calling off work today. Decision made. She grabbed her smartphone, whipped off a concise email to Nash, and copied Liz in Human Resources.
Both Nash and Liz tended to arrive early to work and would take the extra half-hour to check for new messages. They’d be shocked Ryanne had asked for a day to herself, but her absence shouldn’t cause a hardship.
She’d settled into her plush leather couch with her second cup of coffee and palmed the remote when a banging on her door caused her to jump. The splash of scalding liquid on her hand brought a curse to her lips and tears to her eyes.
Ryanne raced to the sink and ran her hand under cold water.
“Sonofabitch!” she muttered.
The banging sounded again. Who the hell was at her door before five a.m.? She ignored the intrusion.
The cold water took a small portion of the pain away.
“Ryanne?” Bang, bang, bang. “Ryanne! Open the door!”
Shock and Nash’s frantic voice made her hustle to comply with his demand. Wrapping a dishtowel firmly around her right hand, she hurried to open the door.
Damned if she didn’t have to catch her breath when she took in his tousled head of blond hair on top of those well-formed shoulders that made her mouth water. Clearing her throat was a necessity.
“Nash? What are you doing here?”
“Your email said you were sick.”
“Oh-kaaay. And you’re here why?”
His slashing dark blond brows dipped, and a deep frown line appeared in the center of his forehead. The scowl indicated he didn’t appreciate the fine art of snark. If she hadn’t been used to his thundercloud expression, she might’ve been a bit intimidated.
“You’re never sick,” he stated as if he was speaking to a dim child.
“Still not getting why you’re here, Nash. It’s not life or death if I was able to take the time to email you.”
“You’re ungrateful, you know that?”
She closed her eyes and counted to ten.
Really, she shouldn’t be surprised. The man hardly slept and only lived twenty minutes away. She should’ve known he’d show up on her doorstep. Hell, if she’d taken the time to consider it, she would’ve been shocked if he hadn’t.
That was the essence of Nash. He needed to control every aspect of his life. Nothing was allowed to derail the day. But the man seriously tried her patience. If he wasn’t her boss… well, if he wasn’t her boss, she’d probably be all over him like—nope! Not going there! That road was forbidden.
With a heavy sigh, she opened her eyes.
The intensity with which he was studying her caused her to swallow—hard.
When his frown deepened and he slowly raked her form with his gaze, her body went on high alert. Her breasts tightened with want, and her vagina became uncomfortably wet.
Crap!
She hated his ability to turn her on. No encouragement needed. For God’s sake, he was only checking out her sleeping attire. Mr. Always-Impeccably-Dressed probably mentally faulted her mismatched tank, sleep shorts, and tattered robe.
Once again, she felt her brow to see if her forehead was overly warm.
“Do you feel faint?” Nash surged forward, scooped her into his arms, and kicked the door shut with his foot. “I’ve got you.”
JesusMaryandJoseph! She was going to do it! She was going to lose control and lick him. As she leaned in, ready to take the plunge, he dumped her on the couch. Literally dumped her.
“Dude!” she yelped.
“Sorry. I lost my grip.”
* * *
Nash nearly laughed at Ryanne’s incredulous glare.
Whew, that was close! He’d nearly lost his ever-loving mind and succumbed to the overwhelming urge to kiss her.
He perused her scantily clad body at length for a second time.
While some people would consider her clothing cover enough, her ugly robe opened just enough to show off the outline of the pebbled tips of her breasts and created havoc in his mind—as well as other parts of his anatomy. She possessed the type of body to make a grown man weep. She had a petite, hourglass figure that short-circuited his brain.
Okay, focusing on her curves was not the smartest course of action.
In an effort to protect his sanity, he grabbed a quilt from the back of the sofa and tucked it around her. When she was wrapped from neck to ankles, he stood back and silently praised his quick thinking. A second glance showed that even her purple-painted toes were sexy as hell. He was in deep trouble.
Clearly irritated—her burning eyes said as much—Ryanne struggled to free herself from the heavy material.
He perched on the edge of the couch, hip to hip, hands on either side of her body, and held the quilt in place. “If you’re sick, you should stay bundled up.”
“I’m not that kind of sick, Nash.”
Once again, he studied her—his favorite pastime when she wasn’t looking.
Purple highlights blended perfectly with the nearly black hair. Her dark brows were shaped in a sharp arch, and her eyes were almost as dark as her hair and eyebrows. One had to look closely to make out her irises. They were a dark coffee-brown, practically black in appearance. Currently, they blazed with an unholy light.
Nash’s lips twitched.
Ryanne’s pique was a common enough occurrence—almost daily in fact.
Call him twisted, but he absolutely loved to see her fired up.
Those magnificent eyes would flash, and color would flood her cheeks. Her plump cherry lips would part in outrage and inspire fantasies no boss should entertain. Her passion brought to mind long, steamy nights spent in front of a fire, making love in every position known to man, then discovering a few extra for good measure.
His gaze fell to her mouth.
Whenever she smiled, her mouth split wide and showed a generous amount of white, lighting the room with its brilliance. But right now, when she was irritated and her lips were compressed as a result, he wanted to kiss the ever-loving hell out of her to bring back the joy to her face.
He recalled the first day he’d seen her in the conference room where she was being interviewed.
A goddess among mere mortals.
She’d looked up and beamed at him from her seat, clearly excited at the prospect of becoming his assistant.
Because he’d been in serious danger of falling at her feet and begging her for sexual favors right on the spot, he’d drummed up some stupid little speech about no romance and not drooling on his important papers or books. If he’d have dumped cold water over her head, he probably couldn’t have shocked her more. His cousin Liz, who was conducting the interview, had shot him a horrified look as if he’d lost his damned mind.
Maybe he had. Maybe he hadn’t been able to find it since meeting Ryanne two years previously. Really one year, eleven months, and twenty-two days if one wanted to be exact. When he wasn’t thinking about business, his thoughts were consumed with her.
And wasn’t that the crux of the matter? He’d been smitten the moment he saw her in all her technicolor glory, and nothing she’d said or done in the interim had changed his mind. No, time had only worked to reinforce his feelings. He was a Thorne, and family legend held that Thornes only loved once.
Oh, screw it! He was going in for the kiss. He’d waited long enough.
Angling his head, he shifted closer and released the blanket to allow her partial freedom. “I’m going to kiss you, Ryanne. If you object, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Her indrawn breath and wide eyes curled his lips. He couldn’t help his self-satisfied smile. The sheer wonder on her face was a sight to behold.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
He lowered his head to hers, and when her lips opened to accommodate him, he explored the depths of her mouth. The very earth seemed to shake when their bodies connecte
d. Somewhere in the close distance, dishes rattled. Oxygen left his brain, and his lungs went into overdrive when she gently sucked on the tongue invading her mouth. Christ, he could lose himself forever in the incredible taste of her.
Lightning lit up the sky beyond the balcony door. Thunder boomed within a second of the flash, and a woman’s laughter echoed about the room.
Icy fingers caressed his spine, and he nearly came out of his skin.
His head whipped up and about.
No one was there.
“Did you…hear that?”
Confusion apparent, she asked, “What?”
“I thought I heard…a woman…laughing,” he panted out, short of breath from their kiss.
Ryanne jackknifed to a sitting position. Her forehead connected with his chin.
“For fu—” Nash bit off his curse and rubbed his throbbing chin. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, sorry,” she muttered. “This morning is getting weirder and weirder.”
Her words caught his complete attention. Weird was never a coincidence in the Thorne world. “How so?”
“I had a strange dream. It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing if you had to call in sick during the early morning hours.” Unable to help himself, he traced her kiss-swollen lips with the pad of his thumb. “That’s unlike you.”
Her bewilderment was adorable. Did she not believe he was aware of his surroundings? Aware of her? Hell, most nights he couldn’t get a full night’s rest because he lay awake, replaying the day’s events. He’d spend the entire time recalling every word they exchanged, every gesture she’d made. Of course, those thoughts brought to mind his ever-present desire for her. He nearly snorted in self-disgust.
All strangeness forgotten, he leaned forward. With his free hand, he cradled the back of her head in his palm. “Are you interested in picking up where we left off?”
Her soft whimper encouraged him to run the tips of his fingers down her long, graceful neck. He halted at the lacy edge of her top. “Say the word, Ryanne.”
“No,” she whispered seductively.
“Yes, I—wait, what? No?” Poleaxed, he pulled back. The husky quality to her tone had him wondering if he should go old-school alpha male and try to persuade her. He attempted to keep his petulant attitude in check when he asked, “Why not?”
“Because it could get messy at work. You know, I could drool all over your papers and books. We can’t have that, Nash.”
This time when he heard a woman’s laughter, there was a wicked quality to the sound.
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From the Author…
Thank you for taking the time to read FOREVER MAGIC! If you love what you’ve read, please leave a review. To find out about what’s happening next in the world of The Thorne Witches, be sure to subscribe my newsletter.
Books in The Thorne Witches Series:
SUMMER MAGIC
AUTUMN MAGIC
WINTER MAGIC
SPRING MAGIC
REKINDLED MAGIC
LONG LOST MAGIC
FOREVER MAGIC
ESSENTIAL MAGIC
MOONLIT MAGIC (coming soon)
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Also by T.M. Cromer
Books in The Thorne Witches Series:
SUMMER MAGIC
AUTUMN MAGIC
WINTER MAGIC
SPRING MAGIC
REKINDLED MAGIC
LONG LOST MAGIC
FOREVER MAGIC
ESSENTIAL MAGIC
MOONLIT MAGIC (coming soon)
Books in The Stonebrooke Series:
BURNING RESOLUTION
THE TROUBLE WITH LUST
A LOVE TO CALL MINE (coming soon)
THE BAKERY
EASTER DELIGHTS
HOLIDAY HEART
Books in The Fiore Vineyard Series:
PICTURE THIS
RETURN HOME
ONE WISH
Look for The Holt Family Series starting March 2020!
FINDING YOU
THIS TIME YOU
INCLUDING YOU
AFTER YOU
THE GHOST OF YOU