by T. A. Foster
I thought I saw him wink through the mask. I wanted to see his face, but I guess that’s part of the allure of masquerades—mystery.
“Ivy.” When I reached for his hand, he took mine to his lips, pressing a kiss near my knuckles.
He smiled. “Wait, you’re Ian’s sister, right?” He still hadn’t let go of my hand, and I was starting to feel electric tingling in my fingertips.
“Yes, I am. Has Ian been talking about me at work?”
I was only slightly worried as I looked at this gorgeous man. Ian would never reveal much about me. I heard the big band start up again, and the brass blared.
“He mentioned something about a sister.”
By the way he was smiling I thought there had to be more to it than that.
“Do you work missing persons cases too?” I sipped the champagne, enjoying the sweet taste.
“I’ve moved around so much I don’t have a permanent department yet. I’m still the new guy at work.”
Before I had a chance to ask if he considered Sullen’s Grove a place he’d like to stay, he motioned for me to follow him. The way he grabbed my hand and held it close against his back felt familiar and protective. I liked that he so easily took the lead. He navigated through the crowd to the stairwell exit. We climbed two flights of stairs and emerged on the rooftop.
The stars were out in full force and the summer air engulfed us. I could hear the slight bass thumping from several floors below, but it was quiet on the roof.
“Wow, it’s beautiful up here. Have you been up here before?” I peeked over the side of the building.
“I was saving it for a special occasion.” His grin was devilish. “And I think I found it.”
I’d met charming men before, but I wasn’t sure Finn even fit in that category. He was confident as if we had known each other for years, but flirty like he wanted to impress me for the first time.
“Let’s have a toast. To summer nights, strangers at masquerade balls, and beautiful women.” He took a quick swig of the champagne.
I laughed. “I’m not sure about the beautiful women part, but I’ll toast to good-looking men.” I downed the rest of my newly poured champagne and handed him my glass.
“So, I finally get to meet the mysterious Ivy Grace.”
“Mysterious? Seems like you’re the mysterious one, since you know who I am and I have no idea who you are. Although, I know you work with my brother, or so you claim,” I teased.
“I’m surprised Ian hasn’t mentioned me. Really? He hasn’t said anything?”
I shook my head.
“I like working with your brother. We have a lot in common. We’ve worked a few cases together. I thought he might have brought it up.” Finn looked puzzled.
“Nope, not a word.” I tipped toward him slightly on my toes.
I liked the effect the champagne was having on my body. I felt light and unbound, like I could float around the rooftop. I looked down at my glittery shoes to make sure I was still standing. Finn stirred the energy beneath my skin. I had met him only a few minutes ago, how could he do that?
“There’s something I want to do.” He winked at me before resting his glass on a nearby bench.
He traced the outline of my mask with one hand, and with the other, he gently reached behind my head and untied the black ribbon holding it in place. The simple gesture shot a thrill through me. I walked backward a step at a time, until my back rested against the brick wall overlooking the city below. The night air was warm on my skin. Finn peeled the mask from my face. He reached behind his head and unfastened his mask. He tossed them both to the floor.
I studied his high cheekbones and the perfect symmetry of his face. Not knowing if it was the champagne bubbling in my body or the effect this man had on me, I felt my body arching toward him. He traced the curve of my throat around to the back of my neck, grabbed a handful of my hair, tugging slightly, and pulled me closer so that his mouth was on mine.
His lips were warm and urgent, bringing me closer to him. My hands had a life of their own and found their way inside his jacket. I worked through his shirt buttons and succeeded in pulling back his shirt to feel his smooth, muscular chest. Everything about him was intoxicating. His mouth pressed into mine harder, sending a moan from the back of my throat. This was the single most dizzying kiss I had ever experienced. He located the zipper on my gown just below the curve of my back. I felt it start to melt off my shoulders while his mouth traveled along my neck and pushed the gathered fabric away.
He whispered against my neck. “Damn, you’re hot. I wanted to kiss you as soon as I saw you at the bar.”
He breathed into my throat as his palms pushed on my hips, working my dress to the floor. I gave myself an inner high five when I remembered luckily this was one of those occasions I had worn my all-matching black lingerie.
I shivered from the heat of his breath. It was doing all kinds of things to me, like making me forget we had just met, or that only a few floors below us were hundreds of people. None of that seemed to matter as my hands traced his sculpted abs. There was just enough light for me to make out the vertical characters inked on his stomach. This wasn’t the time to ask what it meant; I only knew it was the hottest tattoo I had ever seen. My hands roamed lower until I reached for his zipper. I stopped.
“Wait, wait.” My chest heaved and I lowered my head to avoid his piercing stare. I pulled my dress over my hips and slipped each arm through the designer cut straps. “Sorry, we can’t, we just… I’m sorry.” Deep breaths, Ivy.
I had almost let him seduce me into my first one-night stand. And not just any one-night stand. On a rooftop. Part of me wanted to keep going. I had never been so reckless and or so turned on in my life.
With his shirt ripped open, he laughed and put a hand on either side of my head. “Shit, yeah, you’re right. This is going too fast. Way too fast.”
He rested his forehead on my shoulder. It seemed he needed time to catch his breath as much as I did. We took a few minutes to straighten our ball attire, flatten out any extra crinkles, and do some more deep breathing.
“We should probably head back to the party. I still need to make my donation tonight. I have my eye on a spa package in the silent auction…or maybe the shoes.”
The combination of champagne and Finn’s kisses made my head spin. I didn’t think I could complete a sentence. I adjusted the delicate strap on the back of my heels as if that would help me regain some sort of balance.
Finn grabbed my hand to help steady me. “Before we go back downstairs, there is something I want to show you. It’s the real reason I brought you up here.” He winked at me. “Although, I liked the other reason we came up here.”
The heat in my cheeks started to rise again. I thought we had established we were going to take a breather, but if he asked, I wouldn’t pass on another chance to see him without his shirt again and that super hot tattoo. I wanted to kiss every square inch around it and his washboard stomach. He led me over to a bench on the side of the rooftop and sat next to me.
“Don’t worry. It’s a surprise. You’ll see.” He straightened his jacket and then held his palm straight out into the air. “Illuminate.”
The familiar glowing orb I had formed so many times hovered in his palm, lighting a small area on the roof. My eyes darted between the orb and Finn.
“Surprised?” He winked again.
The illumination orb floated over his hand, casting a glow on his face and bobbed over to me. In that moment, neither my brain nor my mouth formed a single word. My body reacted to him and to the magic that was drifting between us. My mind was no longer guiding me, only my body. I raised my right hand and barely touched the top of the orb with my palm, pushing on the glow, flattening the light.
“Extinguish,” I whispered.
I wrapped both my arms around his neck and my mouth found his. My hands urgently moved from his face to his neck and down to his chest, pulling on his buttons. I tugged on his lower lip with my
teeth and playfully bit him on the neck.
I realized the magic had drawn me to him, and now that he had shared it, I couldn’t fight it. Why hadn’t I noticed it in the looks he gave me, or the way my skin heated under his fingertips? Every part of me gravitated toward him as if we were meant to fuse together in some predestined spellbinding way.
He grabbed my waist and picked me up so I was on top of him, straddling his hips. I didn’t protest or try to slow him this time. I wanted him. I wanted to feel every ounce of our magic intertwined and dancing through our bodies.
His hand cupped my face. “I want you.”
“Shhh.” I quieted him with a kiss.
We didn’t need words. There was something between us that was thick like humid North Carolina nights. It glowed like lightning trails. I could see it and feel it. No, we didn’t need words.
The quietness on the roof hushed all of my inner good girl warnings and peeled away all my inhibitions. I stood in front of Finn and tugged on my zipper until my gown was a heap on the ground. I kicked it to the side.
I wicked grin flashed across his face. He met my stare.
He pointed at the open space on the roof next to my dress. “Voila.” A cloud of glitter disintegrated over a bed. He had literally made a bed appear out of thin air. No human boyfriend of mine could have come close to that level of seduction.
As quickly as the bed appeared, Finn wrapped his arms around me and lifted me on the mattress. Fiery electric heat spread through my body, and I surrendered to his touch, his mouth, and those piercing, irresistible eyes. I tried to steady my breaths as he deftly stripped my black lace ensemble from my limbs. My body pulsed like it never had before when I realized the only thing I was still wearing were my sparkly heels.
As if he could read my mind he reached for my ankle and planted a kiss just above the strap of my shoe, followed by another on my calf, and an exquisite one behind my knee. His eyes shot to mine, and I lost all hope of not drowning in this man. I wanted him to take me under.
I don’t know if he was able to suspend us in time, but it felt like he explored every inch of me with slow and devouring strokes as if the clock had stopped.
I watched hungrily as he shed the last remnants of his tux, eager to feel him pressed against me, into me, filling me with heat and magic. I had fallen under his lust-filled spell and had thrown all sensibility off the roof.
“Ivy,” he whispered as I arched toward him.
I wanted to know what this would feel like, two witches consumed by each other. He was my first witch, and I had always wondered what the magic would feel like during sex. So far, it was as if a raging dam had broken free inside my veins and I was flowing with desire.
His hand slid between my legs, and his fingers circled rhythmically until I was on the brink of giving in to the building need.
“You’re glowing.” He smiled at me as his hand dipped into the sweetest spot.
I could barely make out the words; it felt so good. “I am?”
“Hmm…mmm.” He added another finger. “I think it’s because I’m doing this.” He swirled his fingers and I clung to the bed, not wanting to levitate off the roof. “It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
I gripped his back as he parted my legs with his knees. My skin radiated as it touched him, and I saw iridescence wherever my fingertips trailed his body. If we were already glowing, what would happen when we actually possessed the other? Finn didn’t make me wonder long. He hovered then pushed inside me, fusing our magic together. I bowed off the bed, trembling from the rush.
“Oh, God.” I clutched him tighter.
I wanted to scream and laugh or just collapse like my heap of a dress. It felt so overwhelming. It was pure bliss. And the light—we glowed and sparkled every time our skin touched.
Finn reached for my hands, threading his fingers through mine as our bodies moved together. His palms melted into mine like strands of electricity were binding us together. He stole kisses and pleasure while he slid into me. I had never craved anyone like this, never reacted like this. It was as if I needed him for my next breath. The magic and the electricity surged through us until finally the waves of release consumed us into a quivering, burning, divine haze.
There was no way we could head back downstairs with our freshly sexed look. I looked at Finn’s hair sticking out and saw a scattering of his buttons on the floor. My dress zipper was torn and my hair no longer looked quite so put together. Fortunately, I knew I didn’t have to hide my usual bag of witchy tricks.
I pointed at our clothes. “Remedy.”
The repairs were made within seconds.
“Hey, thanks. That’s a handy spell you have,” Finn complimented.
“No problem.”
Now for the rest of me. “Glamour.”
I felt my hair go into place with my flowing curls hanging loosely on my shoulders, and a renewed tightness on my skin let me know my makeup was no longer smeared and faded.
Hugging my dress to my chest, I turned and looked at Finn.
“Sorry, I don’t know what got into me. I don’t…I mean, I’ve never done that. I’m not really into...”
I was secretly thankful the shadows on the roof concealed my blushing cheeks. I had completely undone my no one-night stand record. If I had to break it, I couldn’t think of a better initiation. My skin still tingled from his kisses.
“Ivy, you don’t have to explain. It was hot. Don’t apologize.” He leaned down and pressed a rough kiss on my lips. The heat started rising and I took a deep breath. “It was fun. I think we should see each other again.”
“Sure, of course.” I smiled at him. “But I can’t always promise you hot rooftop sex.” I kissed him, realizing I could go on kissing him all night on this rooftop or anywhere he wanted.
“How about breakfast? Would you let me take you out for breakfast? I think there’s a waffle shop around the corner that’s open all night.” He held out his hand to help me up. He had already buttoned his newly stitched shirt and straightened his tie.
“First, you’ve got to get past the rest of my family, but yes, I’d love to have waffles with you.”
“I don’t think that will be a problem. Most people think I’m pretty charming.” There was the killer wink again.
And with that night of rooftop sex and hot waffles, the most tumultuous years of my love life began.
Sullen’s Grove, Present Day
FINN PROPPED his shoulder on the hardy oak. Half his body was cloaked by the shadows. He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. It only took me a second to find him. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t ignore the magnetic pull he had over me. I reminded myself to stay strong and to stay focused.
“Emergency, huh? What’s going on, Ivy?” he teased.
Clearly, he didn’t remember that I never threw around the word “emergency.” I wasn’t here to play games or get wrapped up in him again.
I chewed on my bottom lip, sorting through how I should approach my request. Before the words were passed my lips, he shifted from the tree and snaked his arms around my waist. All I could hear was my heart beating. I tried to steady the beats so Finn wouldn’t hear it too.
“Finn—” I pushed against his chest, trying to create some distance. He was too close, and in the space that affected my inner good girl.
“Aw, babe.” He brushed the side of my cheek.
I shook my head and took another step back. It was better if there was more air between us.
“Thanks for meeting me so fast. I know you might have plans that don’t involve helping me in the middle of the night.” I paused.
His lack of response suggested maybe I had interrupted his plans, but I rambled on and tried to ignore the jealous surges worming their way into my imagination.
“I do really need your help. I need a Guardian Spell.” My voice was strong and urgent. He needed to understand how critical the request was. I didn’t want Finn to start charming me with his charismatic smile, cryst
al eyes, and fiery hands. This was serious.
“Hmmm… Who needs protecting? I need a little something to go on.” His hands were back in his pockets, and he leaned into the sturdy trunk.
I didn’t have the kind of time Finn was going to soak up. “It’s a ridiculously long story, but can you just fly to Atlanta tonight and take care of this girl for me?” I shoved the crumpled piece of paper with Emily’s address on it into his palm. “It would really mean a lot to me. Can you help her?”
He opened the note and his eyes shot to mine. “Sure. Of course, babe, but first I want to know what it’s about.” He folded the paper in half and shoved it in his pocket. “I haven’t heard from you in months. I saw you were in New York. Ian’s keeping his distance from me at work, and now, in the middle of the night, you need my help. And I’m supposed to start doling out spells? You realize it’s a spell that happens to be my gift.” He was irritated, but it felt more like he was trying to see how far he could push me and if I’d push back to get the protection spell.
Maybe this was too much. It was unfair to ask him to do it, considering everything he said was true. The only reason I texted was because my magical life was unraveling in front of me, and he was the one person who might be able to weave it back together. I reread the awful letter in my mind, recounting each scratchy, evil word before responding. The letter dissuaded us from involving the authorities, but didn’t say anything about adding allies. If I ever needed an ally, it was now. Like it or not, Finn was the only Guardian I knew.
I sighed. “I need your help, for more than just the spell, but we don’t have enough time to get into the details now.” I smiled, trying to convince him to relent. “Can you please go help this girl, and then meet me back at my house? I’ll fill you in on everything there, I promise.”
I could tell from the gleam in his eye that I had won. “We’re going to talk, Ivy. But, yeah, I can take care of this for you. It’s nice to know you still need me.” Without warning, he fisted his hands through the back of my hair, tilting my chin upward, and crushed his mouth onto mine. I felt the rush of electricity pulse through my limbs and my knees wobbled as his lips broke free.