Page 17 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

“Depending on what you need it for, they either keep supers in or out of a place. These wards keepyouin.”

“But not you?”

“Not me.”

“Where did you get wards that keep me in but not you?”

“My boss, Luc. We’re tight. He felt bad for me and wanted to make sure I wasn’t late, seeing as I can’t exactly call in sick.”

“You don’t get personal leave days?” I asked, affronted for him until I remembered to be upset with him, then I started to pace. I didn’t like being trapped. As an adult with all my capacities intact, I couldn’t figure out how I’d ended up in this mess. “Why in the world do you even care what happens to me? I still don’t get it.”

“Because you’re mine,” he roared so loudly that I actually took a step back, hitting the door from the back of my head to my bottom, and I blanched.

“What do you mean, I’m yours? We kissed a couple of times, so what?”

“Are you being serious right now?”

“Yes,” I snapped back.

He pressed his palms to his eyes then dragged his hands up to rake through his thick, messy hair. “Simone, you said it yourself. It felt like we were meant to be together.”

“I was just…turned on,” I admitted. He couldn’t really believe that he and I were… well—that was just ridiculous!

“No. You were just admitting the truth. You felt it because it’s true.”

“There’s no such thing as fate.”

I swore the guy looked to heaven for help. “You have so much to learn. Unlike humans, most supers have an ‘other half.’ A life mate they’re meant to be with.”

“And you think that’s me?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Well, don’t let me cramp your style.”

“Simone—you aren’t getting it. We’ve met. Connected. There’s no going back. I couldn’t go out with someone else if I wanted to.” He gestured to me. “And from the death glare you’re shooting me, you can’t stand the idea of that, either.”

I lifted my hands up to my face, feeling the scowl I thought I’d been hiding so well.

“Yeah,” he said, stepping close to me, reaching his hand out to snag my T-shirt to tug me against him.

“That means you’re staying here. I’m going to work. Then we’ll figure out what to do about you now being on a bunch of bad guys’ radar when I get home.”

“How do you know I’m on any bad guy radar?”

“Because you’re hot and you were playing pool in Monnie’s. No good guys hang out there.”

I geared up to argue my point again, I really did, but he bent in to press his lips to mine. I hated that it felt good. I didn’t want it to feel that good.

Connor drove me insane.

He didn’t even like me. The more I thought about that, the angrier I got. The angrier I got, the more frantic the kisses became. I pressed harder. My hands roamed. And unfortunately, I moaned into his mouth.

“No,” the infuriating man grumbled, tearing his mouth from mine, pushing himself back from me.

We were both breathing heavily.Sexy times could be had at any momentlevel of heavy.

“I don’t have time,” he said, staring at me through eyes declaring they were ready to devour me. “I need to get to work.”

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