Page 60 of Spelling Disaster

I’ve been lying to him by omission from the start.

Yet my hand lifts of its own accord and raps on the door.

Seconds later Theo answers, standing shirtless in front of me again. Does the man ever wear a shirt? It takes me a full five seconds to catch my breath and roll my tongue back into my mouth.

“It’s me,” I whisper. “Let me in? Please?”

Theo quirks a brow high. “And just how do I know that the invisible person whispering outside my room is Yasmine and not a ghoulish impostor?”

I reach out and flick him, lightly, on the nipple. Theo makes a good show of flinching, of showing none of his confusion, as he steps aside to let me in. The door shuts behind him and at once I think how absolutely lucky I am that we’re alone in his dorm room.

Doing my best to ignore his body falls just short of the mark. He’s ripped in all the right ways. And it’s not just basketball practice that has given him the muscles of his chest and forearms. His torso looks as though I can run my fingers down his abs and play him like an instrument.

Damn.

This is the man who kissed me earlier?

“You know,” Theo says, breaking me out of my gorgeousness induced stupor, “I never thought you’d be the kind of girl to use a spell to get out past curfew. I must be special if you’re willing to risk the wrath of the headmaster.”

I release the magic with my next breath and stand in front of him practically panting.

He notices my bag right away and his expression of casual indifference and easy play melts away into concern. “Yas? What’s going on?”

I drop down in his desk chair and let the bag fall to the floor. “I have to go home tonight,” I say. At his quick inhalation, I hurry on to say, “I want you to come with me. I know it’s not smart and that we don’t know each other well, but there’s more going on in my life than I’ve let on. Things that I’ve been too scared to talk to you about but I’m ready to, now.”

Concerned, Theo crosses the room and bends down to take my hands in his. He’s so strong. Much stronger than I gave him credit for, even when he’d been a stranger I admired across the cafeteria. “What is it? How can I help?”

I stare at him for a moment before huffing out a surprised laugh. “Just like that?”

He nods. “Just like that. Talk to me.”

There is no hesitation. Hopefully he’ll still be willing to hear me out once I get through the story. I draw in a breath so deep my chest aches.

And without waiting any longer, I tell him the truth about my family. About where I came from, my human sister and my mother who pushed me all my life to take my place in the caste of Clerics. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you everything but according to Blaire, it’s almost a crime to be a Cleric. I was scared.” I bite down on my lower lip. “I’m coming clean, and it terrifies me.”

Although Theo is still holding my hands, his face has gone blank. Not a carefully controlled mask this time, either, but genuine shock at the truth bomb.

“I didn’t want you to shun me like everyone else did. I mean, hell, they don’t even know me but they know enough to see I’m different. You and Blaire are the only ones who have looked at me like I’m a person, like I’m someone worth knowing.” I tug my hands out of his grasp to wring them together, needing to crack my knuckles. Needing to hear something besides the harried sound of my own breathing and my voice, tension making me squeaky.

“I feel like me and my family are ruining things and this might bring you down with me but I had to share it. With you.” I hurry to get through everything and I know I’m rambling, trying to keep it together, but it’s impossible to stop. “You mean a lot to me, Theo, and I understand if you don’t want to be seen with me anymore, especially since I haven’t helped you study one bit. You don’t have to come with me tonight—”

I fall apart when he kisses me. His lips sear to mine, branding me, linking us together in this irrefutable way I feel throughout my body. The heat of his lips travels from my mouth all the way down my spine and thaws the ice in my stomach.

It’s passionate. It’s unforgettable. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted and when he hauls me to my feet and plasters me against his chest, I forget. Only for a moment, I allow myself to disassociate from the pressing issues of my family and the big bad waiting for me.

Because Theo is here, and he’s not running.

He’s touching me and showing me, in this moment, that I really am worth it. His fingertips skim along my jawline, up to my hair, fisting it bring me closer yet. His opposite arm bands around my waist and wherever he touches me, I’m on fire.

I practically purr against his bare chest. Especially when I realize the hardness of him extends a lot lower than I thought.

“Yas,” he says with a groan.

My name.

With a cry in the back of my throat, I link my arms around the back of his neck and tilt my head to deepen the angle of the kiss. Our tongues tangle together and there is nothing playful about this one. There is no hint of the explorative quality of our earlier kiss. There is only need, a sliding need, so bright it disguises everything else.

My body.

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