Page 78 of Captivating Magic

“No. I can’t recall anything but the events surrounding the accident.”

He frowned and stopped playing with her hair. Putting some distance between them, he asked, “You don’t remember me telling you I love you?”

“Not exactly. I believe you said we were going to fall in love in five months. I assume that’s now.”

“Fuck! It just occurred to me that day we spent together didn’t happen.” He shook his head as if dazed. “You didn’t show up at the café, asking for help, and we didn’t spend time together trying to reunite your soul and body. Worse, I didn’t wake to the fact I’ve loved you since we were teenagers.”

She gasped and pressed her hands to her mouth.

“It’s true, Sweet.” His gaze searched her face. “Please tell me I’m not too late.”

Ebba shook her head, and Laszlo closed his eyes in apparent relief.

“Thank Christ!”

“Maybe thank the Goddess instead?” she teased, coming down from the lofty heights of wonder. Since the accident, she’d met with Isis a few times to learn about their friendship. The Goddess had been forthcoming, and Ebba understood why they’d been close. Those meetings had left her with a deep appreciation for deities, magic, and nature.

“Yeah, her, too.” The softness left his eyes, and they shimmered with wickedness. His mouth kicked up at the corners to match, and that devilish smile weakened Ebba’s knees.

“We kissed in the previous timeline,” he said with a twinkle. “I got to feel you up a little while we were at it.”

“Hmm.” She closed the distance between them with purpose and a boldness she’d never have dared before he spoke of love. Reaching up, she wove her fingers in his dark mane and dragged his head down to hers to nip his lip. “What about me? Did I get to feelyouup?”

“There wasn’t time.” His tone was regretful.

She trailed her fingers down his chest, hesitating oh-so slightly when she reached his waistband. “We have time now.”

“Mm.” He glanced behind her at the shed. “What are you suggesting?”

“I—”

He hauled her up and over his shoulder. “Yep. I agree.”

Laughing, she slapped his butt. “I didn’t say anything!”

“You didn’t?” he asked, suspiciously innocent. “I was sure I heard you say, ‘Rock my world, Lo.’”

“Nope. I didn’t say it.” He hesitated at the door, and she giggled. “Ididthink it, though.”

“Must be the familiar-witch connection.”

He blasted the door off its hinges, tossed her like a sack of potatoes on the bed, and secured the door with a wave of his hand. With a jubilant bounce, he joined her on the bed.

“Your seduction needs work,” she scolded, dragging his T-shirt over his head and tossing it away.

“You want the princess treatment or the real-woman treatment?”

Ebba locked her legs around his hips and rocked upward. “You’ve known me my entire life. What about me screams princess?”

“Not one fucking thing,” he growled as he captured her mouth.

His playful kiss deepened, becoming more consuming, and Ebba met the demand, giving him all she had to offer. Laszlo’s weight pressed into her, grounding her in the here and now. His lips trailed down her neck, and he lingered at her collarbone, planting kisses that sent shivers through her and caused her to gasp. Every movement was purposeful as his hands traced her curves, and he seemed to be memorizing the contours of her body, his touch reverent and unhurried.

Her breath hitched, and her fingers threaded through his hair as she surrendered to the sensation of being wholly, undeniably alive. His movements slowed further, turning deliberate and setting her ablaze. Yet each caress reflected the emotions they could no longer contain. It wasn’t only about the physical—it was about everything they’d endured to get here, thewalls they’d torn down, the fears they’d conquered. It was about trust, love, and finding something real from all the chaos that came before.

Ebba's heart raced in her chest. Her emotions were born of exhilaration and a vivid realization that this moment was forever theirs. From this instant until forever, she’d think of him as hers. Tugging him closer, she threaded her fingers through his hair and smiled as his lips traveled upward to meet hers again.

This kiss was different from the others—deeper, almost desperate. It carried the weight of everything unsaid, a culmination of his longing and a silent plea for forgiveness that he’d chosen Charlotte all those years ago.

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