Suddenly Spellbound

by Erica Lucke Dean

  “I didn’t set off the alarm.” Not on purpose, anyway. “As far as I can see, there isn’t even a—”

  “So where’s the fire?”

  I spun around at the soft, lilting cadence of Liam’s Scottish brogue, and my traitorous skin pebbled at the sound.

  He eyed me up and down, desire reflecting in his baby blues. “Nice dress.”

  “Ohhh, you again.” Helena ran a finger along Liam’s forearm, and he jerked away from her touch. “Will someone please tell me, who is this delicious creature?”

  I fisted the front of his cornflower-blue chambray button-down, pulling him to the side, well aware of the four pairs of eyes gawking at us. “How’d you get in here? Better yet, why are you here?”

  Fifi let out a pitiful whine, her front two paws scratching at the ruined dress hanging from my body.

  Make that five pairs of eyes.

  Liam leaned in until his warm breath washed over me, making my knees weak. “I sensed that you needed me. So here I am.”

  “You sensed that I needed you?” I whispered out of the side of my mouth as I took turns studying Liam and the dog through narrowed eyes. “Exactly how does that work?”

  “Is that really important right now?” He scooped up the agitated poodle with a smug grin. “You’re getting wetter by the minute, and the sirens are getting closer.”

  My thighs clenched at the way he said wetter and the incendiary look he gave me. “Fine.” I exhaled with a groan. “Let’s do this before I end up in handcuffs again.” Or end up in a dressing room with my legs wrapped around the Scottish hottie.

  “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Chloe’s jaw flexed as she glared at me.

  “Uh, sure. This is Liam. My dad’s apprentice. Liam, this is Chloe, my best friend.”

  “Nice to meet you, Chloe.” Liam extended a hand then dropped it when she didn’t reciprocate.

  “Well, that explains absolutely nothing.” Chloe blinked at him a few times before turning back to me. “What’s he doing here?”

  I fidgeted. “He’s going to help me fix my little situation.”

  She grabbed my arm, towing me toward a large display case. Liam trailed not far behind. “That would be an excellent idea, the first useful thing you’ve said since you wiggled your—”

  I leveled an icy glare her way.

  “Ugh, fine. No wiggling. Now hurry up and change her back before the six o’clock news team gets here. And try to stay out of sight until the deed is done, okay?” She didn’t wait for a response. She spun around, splashing her way back, hopefully to do a little damage control. If Chloe was good for anything, it was damage control.

  “I’ve done this before.” I sighed, pressing my fingers into my temples. “I have no idea what went wrong this time.”

  Liam cupped my cheek and caught my eyes with his. “You just need to focus. Pay attention to the dog and only the dog. Come on. You can do it.” He set Fifi down in front of me and took each of my hands in his. “Concentrate on turning her back.”

  I closed my eyes and imagined Fif—Françoise standing in front of me in all her disingenuous glory. “From bitch to bitch, a hasty curse. A simple trick I must reverse. No more barking. No more fur. No memories of what you were. No matter how it all may seem, to you it feels like just a dream.” A warm gust ruffled my hair, the static current raising goose bumps on my arms as I forced myself to focus on the transformation.

  Françoise’s human form exploded out from the tiny poodle like an egg in a microwave. She looked a little worse for the wear as she sat cross-legged on the floor between us, drenched from head to toe.

  She opened her mouth to speak and stared up at us. “What happened? Why is it raining in here?” Her French accent appeared to have washed away with her makeup.

  “Something set off the sprinkler system.” Liam winked at me, giving my hands a squeeze, sending a jolt straight to the apex of my thighs.

  “Oh no, the dresses! Is that Gertrude? Oh, my stars, she must be furious. I’d better see if I can help her.” Françoise jumped up from the floor and hurried to the purple lady’s side.

  “That’s one problem solved.” I blew out a breath and stepped back from Liam, trying to escape the heady sexual tension between us. “I, uh, I should probably take off this dress.”

  A slow grin crept across his face, and he glanced at the water droplets pooling in my cleavage. “It’s a beautiful dress, even soaking wet. But if you feel the need to take it off, don’t let me stop you. In fact…” He reached toward me. “Please, allow me to help.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and took another step back. “Liam, don’t. Please don’t look at me that way.”

  He crept toward me in the downpour like a lion stalking his prey. I think I even heard him growl. “What way?”

  “Th-that way. Like you want to eat me.” I stole a glance down his body, freezing as I discovered his zipper straining against the massive bulge in his Dockers.

  “Maybe I do want to eat you.” He closed the distance between us, leaning in to whisper his lips across my ear. “One. Bite. At a time.”

  A zing rushed through me, and I lunged, hiking the dress up to wrap myself around him like a vine and crushing my mouth against his in a heated kiss. As if I’d freed the beast from his cage, Liam whipped me around, pressing my back into the wall, holding me captive with his hips as his greedy mouth attacked, keeping me breathless and panting in his arms.

  Where kissing Jack had always been a mutual give and take, kissing Liam was nothing but take—and he did all the taking. I struggled to catch my breath as he held my face in his hands, devouring my mouth as the spray rained down on us. Every bit of it—the length of his body pressing against me, the apples-and-cinnamon taste on his full lips, even the delicious way those lips molded to mine—felt wrong. But I couldn’t seem to make myself stop as my body waged war with my brain.

  “Ivie!”

  Chloe’s frantic voice snapped me back to my senses, and I released my hold on Liam, sliding down the wall until I stood on my own two unsteady feet. I shoved his chest, and he staggered backward.

  My best friend snatched my arm in hers, dragging me through a shallow puddle from a stunned Scottish hottie. “What the hell was that? You are so lucky Jack wasn’t here to see you practically raping Liam. What on earth has gotten into you?” She stopped walking and shook her head, sending water droplets everywhere. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”

  Oh, my God. Jack! A jolt of panic twisted my insides. “You won’t tell him, will you?”

  She wheeled on me with fire in her blue eyes. “I would never. But you’d better get a handle on this whatever-it-is you have going on with that guy.” She hooked her thumb in Liam’s direction. “I’m not the only one who noticed your little lip lock. Just be glad Helena is three sheets to the wind, and your mother understands the whole ‘magical Viagra’ thing.” She shook her head again. “No wonder Jack doesn’t want you working spells when he’s not around. You. Are. Out. Of. Control.” She punctuated each word by poking a finger into my sternum.

  This time, I stopped dead in my tracks. “My mom saw?”

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “Everyone saw. I’m pretty sure a few firemen will be using your little display as spank bank material tonight.”

  I gasped and dropped my face into my hands. I’d turned myself into masturbation fodder. “Could this day possibly get any worse?”

  “Don’t jinx yourself. Just be glad Jack wasn’t here to witness your little meltdown.” Chloe giggled and bumped my shoulder. “So did you see where Françoise scampered off to after you… you know?”

  “I’m right here.”

  I picked up my head, staring openmouthed at the bane of my morning. Without the perfectly coiffed hair and artistically applied makeup, and minus the pencile
d-on eyebrows that either didn’t make it through the spell or washed off in the sprinklers, she didn’t look nearly as intimidating. Even her expensive clothes were soaked through and dripping into her shoes. I’d outdone myself this time. Under different circumstances, I might’ve been impressed.

  She pushed a damp curl out of her face. “You were right.”

  I studied her resigned expression. “About what?”

  She blinked a few times as she shifted her gaze between Chloe and me. Her shoulders slouched, and she leaned against the wall beside me. “You said I wasn’t French. Well, I’m not. I’m from Muncie, Indiana. My name isn’t even Françoise. It’s Frances. My friends call me Frankie. Colette absolutely insists we use French accents.”

  My guilt meter shot straight to the red line. “Yours is really good, unlike the girl at the front desk.”

  “Some of us are better than others.” She shrugged, and her lips formed a sad smile. “Colette thinks it makes the experience more exclusive.”

  “Oh, it does.” Chloe nodded. “I would have never guessed you weren’t French.”

  “Thanks.” Frances flashed a genuine smile then turned to me. “I’m sorry I was rude to you. You look beautiful in that dress. Your fiancé is a lucky man.” She glanced over at Liam, having what appeared to be a heated conversation with my mother.

  “That’s not her—”

  I glared at Chloe before forcing a smile for my frazzled stylist. “Thank you, Frances.”

  “Call me Frankie.”

  “Thank you, Frankie.” Someone finally shut off the water, and I glanced down at the sodden silk clinging to my skin. “I’m sorry about the dress. I think it’s ruined.”

  She shrugged. “It happens. I’m sure the insurance will cover it. Believe it or not, this isn’t the worst disaster to strike Colette’s. We cater to celebrities too. I could write a book about the crazy things I’ve seen in here.”

  “Really? Like what?” Chloe rubbed her hands together as she prepared to soak up some fresh gossip.

  Frankie’s face lit up. “Well, there was this one time…”

  My attention drifted from her wild story to catch Liam’s eye as he attempted to extricate himself from my mother. “I’ll be right back.” My lips still tingled from his kiss as I made my way across the room. “Mom, can you excuse us for a minute?”

  “Are you sure that’s wise?” She stepped in front of Liam, effectively blocking him from view, and gave me the dirtiest look.

  I twisted my hair in my hands, squeezing out at least a half gallon of water. “I’m sure, Mom. I just need to have a few words with Liam before he leaves.”

  She crossed her arms. “Fine. I’ll be over there.” She pointed at the spot where Helena had lined up empty champagne bottles and was trying to bowl, using an expensive white satin purse.

  “I’m sorry,” Liam and I said at the same time.

  “You go ahead,” he said.

  I kept my eyes trained on my feet. I knew if I dared to gaze into his blue stare, I’d be lost. “I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

  He hooked a finger under my chin, tipping my face up, and that simple contact left me even more confused and wanting more. “That’s the one thing I’m not sorry about.”

  “Liam…” I stepped back, and he dropped his hand. “We can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I love Jack.”

  His lips twisted into a grin. “You keep saying that, but it doesn’t seem to stop you from being drawn to me.”

  “It’s just a side effect of magic.” And you’re too damn sexy for my own good.

  He took a step closer, and I froze. “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “I don’t even know who I am around you.” I groaned.

  “Maybe you’re finally allowing yourself to be who you really are. You’re a sorceress, Ivie. And a sorceress should be with a sorcerer. That’s how nature intended it.”

  I glanced back at Mom, who was wrestling the expensive purse from Helena’s hands. “My mother isn’t a sorceress, and my parents are very happy.”

  “Perhaps, but that doesn’t change the fact that your father was meant for someone else. He chose to break the covenants, and he’s accepted the consequences of that decision. I would hate to see you suffer because you denied the connection we share.”

  Covenants? Consequences? Connection? “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I turned to walk away.

  “Ivie, wait.” Liam captured my wrist, holding me in place. “Ask yourself what you feel for me. And be honest. I know you feel something.”

  “I-I can’t.” I wrenched my arm free and splashed my way across the room. Being so close to him had scrambled my thought process. I needed to get out of there before I did something else I’d regret. And I had no doubt I’d regret every glorious moment I’d spent with Liam.

  Chapter 10

  What had started out as one of the happiest days of my life had turned into nothing but a series of catastrophes, and I wasn’t interested in lingering in the burning wreckage. After changing back into my own clothes and convincing Chloe to surrender her rental car’s keys, I made my escape. I snuck out the back, avoiding Liam and steering clear of the inevitable conversations I knew I’d have to have with my mother and Helena at some point in the near future. I had no idea how to explain my actions to anyone else when I didn’t understand them myself.

  What the hell had I been thinking? Kissing Liam had been a horrifying—yet deliciously toe-curling—mistake, a mistake I had no intention of ever repeating. I’d lost track of how many times I’d nearly destroyed my relationship with Jack since my father had introduced me to his apprentice.

  Jack was right. No matter how many times I’d tried to convince myself otherwise, I had no business doing magic, despite how right the power flowing through me felt. I knew that, instead of running away from the situation, I should have confronted it head on, but I didn’t care. I needed to get home.

  Driving with the top down dried my hair into a chaotic mess, but nothing short of a dye job could eradicate the thick ribbons of red threading through the dark. My options were limited: either make a detour to my favorite hair salon for a quick color treatment or head home to face the music. For once, I opted for the honest approach.

  “So as I’m sure you can imagine, I couldn’t possibly let the dress shop burn to the ground without at least attempting a spell to put it out.” I finished my elaborate fabrication then took a deep cleansing breath. Where’s the harm in a little white lie?

  Jack’s mouth hung open. He hadn’t spoken a word since I’d started talking. “You put out the fire with magic?”

  Interesting word choice. More like magic stoked the flames. “Yep,” I squeaked. “Thanks to me—and a state-of-the-art sprinkler system—Colette Couture is still in business.” Okay, a few little white lies.

  “Wow.” Jack fell back into the couch cushions and blew out a breath. His dumbfounded expression told me I’d managed to pull off the ruse. “It never occurred to me that your abilities could actually come in handy.”

  “Amazing, right?” Liar, liar pants on…

  “Fire, huh? Do they have any idea what caused it?”

  Guilt climbed up my throat, threatening to choke me. “I, uh, think it was the candles?”

  Jack tugged me into his lap, shaking his head. “My little witch saved the day. Who would have guessed?”

  A nervous laugh burst out of me before I could push it back. “Not me, that’s for sure.”

  “So I suppose that means you’re all… worked up now.” His lips curved up at the corners as he gazed at me with lust in his eyes. He could pretend all he wanted, but deep down, he loved what magic did to me. “Have a little energy you need to work off?”

  Jackpot! That was exactly what I
needed to get my mind off Liam. “Hmm, maybe I do.” I shifted in his lap, feeling him swell beneath me. “What did you have in mind?”

  He thrust upward, sending delicious tingles through me.

  “Oh, that?” I gulped down a mouthful of saliva. “I-I think I could be convinced.”

  He chuckled. “Since when do you require convincing? After one of your spells, I’m surprised either of us is wearing clothes right now.”

  Excellent point. I hopped up from his lap, unbuttoned my blouse, and slid it from my shoulders. I toyed with the idea of working a quick spell to get us both out of our clothes but decided against it. The odds weren’t in my favor after the day I’d had.

  “Here”—he reached around my waist to unzip my skirt—“let me get that.” The gray linen pooled at my feet, leaving me in nothing but my delicate lace underthings. Jack’s eyes followed the contours of my body from head to toe, and he licked his lips. “Beautiful.”

  Before I had a chance to formulate a reply, his insistent mouth was on mine, steering me back to the cushions until I was sprawled out beneath him. He slid a hand down my stomach, into my panties, and his long fingers spread me apart, teasing me into a writhing, desperate mess. “Jack, please.”

  “Oh, don’t you worry. I have every intention of pleasing you.” He slipped a finger in. “More than once.” Then two. “But not yet.” His weight disappeared from above me as he removed his shirt and jeans to stare down at me.

  I whimpered at his naked form, and his muscles twitched at my perusal. I wanted—no, needed—him to be inside me.

  With a mischievous smile, he pulled me to my feet and helped me step out of my panties before sliding my bra straps down, trapping my arms at my sides. “Patience, little witch. You’re always in such a hurry.” He wrapped his hand around his hardness, stroking a few times before releasing it.