An uncontrollable moaning noise of physical hunger purred beneath her breath and his eyes ripped back up to hers at the erotic sound.
Then an answering grunt burst from his throat and he snarled, “What in the hell are you doing?”
Evan thrust the tickets into his hand, her cool fingers deliberately brushing against his hot skin. “I wanted to invite you to the theater tonight.”
She watched as he looked down at the tickets, his light green eyes quickly scanning the scripted writing, beautiful mouth pressed into a grim line of determination. She knew he was going to say no and moved to beat him to the punch. “Come on, Magic Man.” Her voice was a seductive purr, pouring over him, coating him in need, meant to drive him outta his goddamn mind. “I dare ya,” she added with a teasing wink.
In a blur of movement, his hand shot out and he grabbed her, manacling her fragile wrist in an unbreakable grip that was only just shy of hurting her. She could feel the restraint he used, the leashed power thrumming beneath the surface of his hot skin against her own, and knew that despite his anger, he was still trying to be careful with her.
A delicious shiver spiked through her that had nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the thrill of being at this man’s physical mercy, just like in her dreams. She wanted to be laid out and penetrated, nailed to his bed beneath all those long, rippling muscles. Wanted to be shown in no uncertain terms just how badly he’d been aching for her. Wanted to be fucked till she passed out from the pleasure, reaching the kind of sexual heights she knew existed but had always had trouble attaining with her previous partners.
But her purring hormones told her she wouldn’t have to try very hard with the prime specimen standing before her, no matter how much of a jerk he was.
Their attraction reminded her of two sculptures she’d once seen in a museum. On their own they would have been ideal and complete, freestanding, each a work of individuality without the other. And yet, when pressed together, they created something wonderfully different. A new form that uniquely strummed the senses while soothing the soul. It’d been a profoundly beautiful piece and she’d never forgotten it.
But it was that strange fitting of form that reminded her of how she felt about Lachlan McKendrick. Individually they were complete, but put them together and Evan knew that a thing of wonder would be created. And she didn’t just mean cock to pussy, though she wanted that massive bulge behind the fly of his jeans so bad she could taste it.
No, it went beyond fucking to something deeper. It had to do with the way they would fit together in sleep and throughout the day. From the press of his body against hers to the way he’d hold her in his arms for the sheer joy of just touching her. The way her smaller hand would fit inside his much larger one. The way he’d hold her to his side as they shared his morning walks.
Christ, she didn’t know how she knew these things, but she did. And it was driving her out of her goddamn mind. Why did she have to crave this union with a man who looked as if he were fighting a battle every time he laid eyes on her?
Hell, she didn’t know what his problem was, and she was never going to find out if she didn’t get through his armor and reach the man hidden beneath.
She watched as his lips pulled back over his teeth like those of a wolf when it growled. He was just as dangerous, just as menacing as he snarled, “If you know what’s good for you, little girl, you won’t ever fucking touch me again!”
Anger flared hot and deep within her chest. Who did he think he was—the conceited prick! For what was surely the hundredth time since setting eyes on the man, Evan wondered why she couldn’t just let him go. Why him? What was his friggin’ problem?
She jerked out of his grasp, but it was infuriating to know she was able to get free only because he let her. “I’ll touch you if I damn well please.” She stood straight and proud before him, her voice cool and steady, though inside she was seething with frustration, as much with herself as with him. “And in case you’re blind, I’m not a fucking child.”
“Coulda fooled me.” He took a step closer, towering over her, too powerful to resist despite his arrogant attitude. “If I touched you,” he sneered, his warm, deep voice hard and condescending, “I’d fucking break you.”
With a forced indifference to outdo his own, she casually shrugged her slim shoulders. “Yeah?” she asked, rolling the word off her tongue in a husky drawl. “I’m sure I could probably go for the rough stuff as well as the next woman, but I’m afraid I only let men fuck me. I don’t screw around with scared little boys.”
He literally vibrated before her, a strange wave of heat crashing against her, as if she were blasted with a physical manifestation of his frustration, and she wondered not for the first time just what he really was. His big hands balled into fists at his sides, his voice little more than a rasp as he demanded, “What do you want from me, Evan?”
Other than his body pounding her into oblivion, she didn’t have a clue. There should have been a thousand witty comebacks slipping off her tongue to put him in his place, but all she could think to say in her temper was, “I want you to go to hell.”
She saw his beautiful mouth twist into a smile but it lacked the warmth of the one she’d seen him give the black-haired stud in the café. No, this was a cold, mean, calculating smile; one she supposed was meant to drive her away as his eyes flicked over her once more. They were hot and hungry and full of lust, burning with an inner fire as he grunted, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, lass, but I’m already there.” Then he turned and walked away, and she let him go.
Almost.
Suddenly the words were spilling from her lips before she’d even known she’d say them. “I dream of you.”
He stiffened and stopped dead in his tracks, but he didn’t turn around.
“Every night, I dream of you. And I wake up with the feel of you still throbbing inside of me. If that’s not magic, Lachlan McKendrick, then I don’t know what is.”
She held her breath, waiting for him to turn back to her, only to see him walk away. Her teeth clenched and her hands fisted, angry resentment pouring through her till she felt sick on it.
How could he do this? How could he just walk away from this—this thing between them? What in the hell was he so afraid of?
Screw it, she thought. Christ, she’d already run after him once and spilled her soul, no freaking way was she going to chase after him again. Her body was just going to have to learn to goddamn do without; and her heart—well, she didn’t know what its problem was. She wasn’t in love with Lachlan McKendrick. Hah! How could she fall in love with a man she didn’t even know?
But there was no denying the fact she wanted him in her bed.
Behind her, Kieran stood in front of the café, witnessing the battle of wills. It was clear he didn’t need to be a Magick to see that the mortal wanted his cousin for her own. Hoping like hell he wasn’t going to get his ass killed for this, he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and set off toward her as soon as Lach stalked away. He spoke quietly, but his deep voice was firm with conviction as he said, “He’s yours, you know.”
Evan spun around so quickly she almost fell on her backside. Kieran reached out to steady her, but she shrugged away, too pissed to be hospitable. “Great,” she sneered, cutting him with her icy glare, “Another one. Do you guys travel in pairs, or what?”
He smiled at her fire, thinking of how much fun it was going to be watching this spirited little mortal keep Lach on his toes. “I’m his cousin, lass. Kieran McKendrick, but you can call me anything you like, seeing as we’re going to be family and all.”
Her slim frame vibrated with anger and cold and stunned disbelief. “Then how about Jackass, because I’m not finding this the least bit funny!”
“Good,” he laughed, “because I’m not joking.” Then he pulled a battered matchbook and pen out of his jeans’ pocket and proceeded to write down an address in the McNeal Hills, one of the recently renovated, most high-priced
areas of town. “He’ll not be happy with me at first,” he laughed, handing the address over to her. “But just remember his bark is worse than his bite.”
“I wasn’t aware he did happy in the first place. All I ever see him do is scowl,” she grumbled, studying the scrawled address, wondering why this guy was sticking his nose into their business, even if he was Lach’s cousin. Her chin lifted and she gave him a steady look, but his black eyes were unreadable. “Why are you doing this?”
The sudden flash of his smile was almost enough to warm the chill in her bones. “Because kin looks after kin,” he drawled in his thick Scottish burr, “and there’s more going on here than meets the eye.” He nodded toward the matchbook in her hand. “Don’t be too hard on him, darlin’. It’s eating him up inside not to have you. And I canna help but think it must be hell on a man when he discovers he now belongs to a woman. If you want him, and I can see that you do, go after him,” and then with a wink, he added, “I promise you, lass, he’s all yours for the taking.”
“Yeah?” she smirked, hating that she’d been so easily read. These McKendrick boys were a strange lot all right, and things were growing stranger by the moment. “And just what makes you think I want to take him anywhere?”
One black brow arched with obvious humor, making her grit her teeth, and he laughed, “Oh, so you don’t want my cousin, then?”
Shit, she thought, it was too freaking cold to stand out in the snow and argue with the beautiful bastard. What was it with these McKendrick men anyway? Were they all like this? She tapped the matchbook with her nail, still studying him from beneath her lashes, trying to figure out his angle. “If I use this, then I owe you. What is it you want from me, Kieran McKendrick? You don’t strike me as the sort who offers something for nothing.”
He made a low guttural noise in the back of his throat, thinking that what he’d really like was something he couldn’t have. The pretty little spitfire was Lach’s now and he wouldn’t touch her, but the temptation to do just that was like a fucking pain in his gut. Then the corner of his mouth kicked up in a wicked grin. “Got any sisters, lass?”
She gave a sudden throaty laugh, gray eyes sparkling at the hopeful note in his voice. “One, yes.”
Kieran’s dark eyes burned like black ice. “Och now, then I just might know a way you can repay me.”
Chapter Four
The mortal was waiting for him on his goddamn doorstep.
He’d taken the long way home, trying to walk off some of his frustration, but it hadn’t worked. And here she was, the woman of his blasted dreams, sitting like a pretty picture against the rough stone steps of his townhouse, fresh faced and smiling her siren smile. He thought briefly of turning around and heading away in the opposite direction, but the determined look on her beautiful face told him she’d only come after him.
“How in the hell did you know where to find me?”
Her smile widened, teasing and light, completely at ease. “Let’s just say a little birdy told me.”
Kieran.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
She leaned back, elbows braced on the top step, magnificent breasts provocatively displayed between the open sides of her brown leather jacket. His tongue stroked the roof of his mouth in a restless gesture of hunger, eager to curl around the tips of her puffy nipples and suck till she screamed from the sharp stab of pleasure.
Her own tongue clucked, knee swinging side to side as if she had all the time in the world. “If I didn’t know better, I might start to think you didn’t want me here.”
Lach ripped his eyes to hers, trying to quell her with the full force of his glare. “You should learn to trust your instincts.”
She held his stare, her own gaze steady and strong despite the ache of desire pulsing through her. There was a heavy pull on her heart that she couldn’t define—all she knew was that she was bound by it, drawn to this rugged man as if he were an extension of her soul, necessary for life.
Did he feel it?
Was this why he fought so hard to resist their attraction?
A glimmer of understanding began to take seed. This undeniable feeling of need was so overwhelming, it was like losing yourself, and she almost couldn’t blame him for struggling so hard against it.
Almost.
“If you want me to go,” she explained in a steady voice, “all you have to do is tell me to go. Tell me to leave you alone, Lach.”
“Goddamn it, I can’t do that!” he gritted through his clenched teeth. His eyes narrowed, drilling into her own. “And you know it, don’t you?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, but climbed the steep steps beside her and opened the huge oak door.
“Then why do you keep fighting so hard?” she asked after him, following him inside before he had the chance to slam the door in her face.
He ignored her, climbing the staircase on the far wall, his big boots heavy on the gleaming hardwood floors. The house was immaculate, the furnishings dark and antique, with a rugged edge of beauty that perfectly fit the man. He turned at the top to see her following after him, and lifted his brow at her impressive tenacity. “Maybe I don’t like being chased by women?”
She couldn’t help it; she smiled. “Well, I can’t say I like the thought of you being chased by women either, but I’ll take care of anyone who tries to get near what’s mine.”
His eyes flared. “Bloody hell! You just don’t stop, do you?”
They’d entered the master bedroom, his room, and the sight of the immense king-sized bed set her already pounding heart to racing with dizzying anticipation. She watched him draw off his black leather jacket and boots, and then he moved toward her for the first time, probably trying to intimidate her right back out of his personal domain.
Too bad for him his little intimidation tactic wasn’t going to work.
“No,” she drawled, eating up his magnificent physique with her eyes. “I don’t stop. Not when it’s something important.”
He took a step closer, blocking the light from the opposite wall of windows with his big, powerful body. “And you think two strangers fucking each other raw is important?”
Her lids lowered, shielding her expression. “It’s more than fucking I want from you, Lachlan McKendrick. I think you know that.”
“I don’t think you know what you want!” he snarled.
The hell she didn’t. “You’re lying. We want the same damn thing!”
“Don’t you think I’d touch you if I could, woman? I’d already have you nailed to the blasted wall with my cock shoved tight up your cunt, fucking your sweet little brains out, but I—Fuck! I have a problem and there’s no easy way around it!”
Her eyes went wide, cheeks flushed with color. “OhmyGod! You don’t mean—”
Lach growled low in his throat. “Not that kind of problem, damn it!”
“Oh,” she sighed, blinking in obvious relief. “Thank God.”
The animalistic growl continued to rumble in his throat, a warning of what was to come. “It isn’t safe for you here, Evan. I’m not a normal man and you’re playing at something that you know nothing about.”
Her beautiful eyes went dark with challenge and she moved a step closer, unwilling to let him think she was afraid of him. “Then show me what you are, damn it! Stop running from me, Lach! I know you’re not like me, but until you face up to this thing between us, we don’t have a fucking chance of getting through it! The first time I laid eyes on you, I could see there was something different about you—some kind of power just waiting to be set free.
I may not understand everything that’s going on here, but I know what I feel, Lach. I know that I want you.”
She reached out to touch his chest and he flinched at the contact as if she’d burned him with an invisible flame. “Whatever you are, Magic Man, I’m not afraid of you. Maybe I should be, but I’m not.”
“And if I canna control it?” he thundered, towering over her, blasting her with his rage so th
at she could actually feel it against her skin like a warm gush of air blowing against her, surging around her body. Any second now and he’d be tumbling right over the edge. “I’ve been cursed, you little idiot! Every time I come, I shoot a load of magic outta my cock that turns the woman into a fucking animal! An animal, Evan! Are you getting the picture?”
A small smile played across her lips. “So you can make a woman go crazy on you, Lach? That’s it? God, I could’ve told you that the second I set eyes on you. I may be human but I’m not a weakling, big guy. I can take it.”
He looked as if he couldn’t decide between laughing and shouting the house down. His eyes squeezed shut and he prayed to the gods for the strength to see this thing through. “I’m a cursed Warlock, Evan, and I’m turning women into real animals. As in furry with four legs, damn it!”
“Oh.” Her face went blank, expression completely dumbstruck, but she wasn’t running. Instead, she stood before him, silent and serious, obviously thinking the whole thing through, chewing on that goddamn luscious lip of hers. “Wow. That’s—I mean—Jesus, I don’t know what that is. Who would do such a thing to you?”
Lach didn’t know what else to do but to answer her question, too tired of fighting to reason out why she was still here and not screaming down the street, trying to escape. With a ragged sigh, he leaned against the rough stone wall at his back. “I come from an ancient family of Magicks, Warlocks and Witches. My uncles are the family elders and they cursed me because they want me to find my bith-bhuan gra, or what mortals call their soul mate. If I come with a woman who isn’t the true one, then the curse temporarily turns her into a bloody beast.”
Her head tilted to the side as she thought about what he’d said. “Hmm. What kind of animal?”
Magick Men: A Shot of Magick Page 3