Page 1 of Captivating Magic

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Laszlo Thorne sipped his cappuccino and, with careful precision, placed the mug back on the matching saucer. His bored gaze traveled over the occupants of the coffeehouse with no clear target until a petite, dark-haired woman stepped through the door and captured his attention.

Although vastly different in looks from his sister Liz, the woman possessed the same efficient movement and no-nonsense expression. Not necessarily beautiful, hers was an arresting visage. Heart-shaped with eyes too large for her face. Sun-kissed skin—or perhaps a bit flushed from an exciting experience before she entered the shop—was set off by the close-cropped riot of espresso-colored curls.

Ebba James.

Her name was similar in sound to the famous Etta James, but Ebba didn’t possess a lick of talent. In fact, her horrendous singing voice could peel the paint from walls and deafen the already hard of hearing. She was also a giant pain in the ass. A persistent one, at that. This was why Lo found himself sitting there, waiting for her to approach so he could continue with his already jam-packed day.

When she spotted him, a broad smile transformed her face, and Lo sucked in a breath. Therein lay her true beauty. The genuine smile that nearly split her face in half, the pulsing yellow aura, and the barely hidden yearning in her dark chocolate eyes.

Yearning for him.

The sleeping beast inside him woke from a long nap, and an insidious thought crept in. He was no longer a married man, and if Ebba was willing to settle for a few weeks of steamy sex that wouldn’t leave her heart bruised when he walked away, they might have some fun.

A foot from the table, she jerked to a stop and stared. “Wow.”

Uncertain why she’d expressed surprise, he glanced behind him, then back at her.

“Just wow,” she mumbled again, almost to herself.

Realization dawned, and Lo grinned. His desire must be as apparent to Ebba as hers was to him. It wasn’t something she was used to receiving from him. Whenever they’d met in the past, he was coolly polite, never allowing himself to look at her as anything but his sister’s pesky friend. If he had, his jealous ex, Charlotte, would’ve lost her shit and clawed the poor woman’s eyeballs from her head.

“Ebba.”

“Laszlo.”

“Call me Lo like everyone else. We both know it’s a mouthful.”

Her already large eyes flew wide, and color surged into her cheeks. Dear Ebba’s mind plunged right into the gutter. The urge to tease her was acute, but he resisted. They needed to get down to business.

Drawing out a chair, he waved a hand. “Have a seat and tell me why you need the services of a paranormal liaison.”

“Can I order tea first?” Ebba gestured toward the barista.

“I took the liberty of ordering it for you. And here it is, right on time.”

Before he finished speaking, one of the café staff laid a tray with a teapot and two teacups in the center of the table.

“Yorkshire Gold?”

“Yes, Ebba. Yorkshire Gold,” he said with exaggerated patience. “Now, can we move this along? I don’t have all damned day.”

A frown drew her near-black brows together in the middle of her forehead. “You could be nicer, ya know.”

“Thisisme being nice. Sit.”

“Dick.”

Leaning to push her chair forward, he placed his lips next to her exposed ear. “Can’t keep your mind from going there, huh?”

“I—”

She was saved from a reply when Laszlo’s older brother Wilder stepped up to the table. The warm smile he cast Ebba got under Lo’s skin, though he couldn’t precisely say why.

“Ebba. It’s great to see you again.”

“Wilder. I thought you were jet-setting around the world?”

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