Page 14 of The Trouble With Spells
He gulped, “Oh.”
“What’s the issue, Michael? Maybe I can help. Or direct you to someone who can help. Daphne isn’t reachable right now.”
I wasn’t about to tell him she was at a yearly get together with the local covens, up in the wilds of Maine, doing whatever it was they all did when they converged together. Honestly, I’d rather not think about what they got up to.
He chewed on his thumbnail, looking uncertain, a look I had never seen on him in high school. Michael always looked confident. Sure of himself. It had always made me a little envious, because I had never felt like that. Still didn’t most days.
“I made this one-night stand I picked up in the club leave after we were done, and he was super pissed, and I think he put a curse on me.” Michael didn’t pause between words, talking so fast I had trouble keeping up with what he was saying. “And now really bad things are happening to me, and I feel like I’m losing my mind.”
His fingers tugged at his messy hair, pulling slightly on the sandy strands and making some of them stand on end. “My bosses for sure think I’m losing my mind. They’ve pulled all my cases and made me take avacation,” his fingers left his hair to make air quotes, “and I just want my life back. I saw Daphne’s picture on the website, and yeah, we maybe weren’t close in school, but I figured she might not think I’m a complete nutjob. And it says you sell spells and spelled candles, and I’m really just grasping at straws here, Callum. But there’s a skull in the case and a black cat and…” he waved his arm around, his words wheezy and his chest heaving, “tarot card readings, and witchy…stuff. But it is Salem, so I mean, you know, there’s witchy stuff everywhere and I really need help before more bad shit happens. Because I’m pretty sure he put a curse on me!”
Chapter Seven
Michael
By the time I was done blurtingallthat out, my chest was heaving like I’d run a marathon. Even to my own ears, I sounded like a crazy person. Bonkers. Lock me up in a padded room and throw away the key. If anyone from my office had heard me spouting all that verbal vomit of lunacy, they’d probably have security escort me out the door.
Callum–and wasn’t that a sexy name–blinked slowly at me with his gorgeous green eyes behind those glasses of his, that he kept pushing up his nose every few minutes. Those glasses. Fucking hell, those glasses made me want to do absolutely dirty, dirty things to him. And if I wasn’t convinced the next bad thing to happento me wasn’t right around the corner, I might be inclined to show him just how sexy I found guys who wore nerdy, black glasses.
Callum was seriously cute with a capital C.
“That,” he said slowly, “was a lot to unpack.”
“Tell me about it.” At least he hadn’t responded by telling me I was a complete nutter and to leave his shop. That had to be a good sign.
Callum came out from behind the counter, his eyes roaming up and down the length of my body, and I shivered slightly in my still slightly damp clothes. Just his gaze running over my body felt like a lover’s caress, and goosebumps broke out across my skin. A fire of want sparked low in my belly, but I ignored it. Now was not the time for me to be focusing on getting my dick wet.
And since when did someone turn me on with just a look?
Callum Turner was pressingallmy buttons without even putting any effort into it. Which was strange, because that never happened to me, and he wasn’t my usual type. Other than the nerdy glasses, which was a kink I kept to myself.
As his narrowed eyes drifted over the length of me, I was once more struck by how seriously cute Callum was. Had he been this cute in school? I figured I would have noticed if he had been, but truthfully, I hadn’t remembered the guy until a few minutes ago. And barely even then.
From the little I did remember of him, he had been a skinny, short, nerdy kid with wild hair that looked like he barely brushed it, and glasses that had hidden his gorgeous eyes. Nothing about him then had even registered on my radar.
Now Callum was tall, maybe only a couple of inches shorter than me, which meant I wouldn’t get a neck ache when I bent down to kiss him.Why was I thinking about kissing Callum? Stop it, Michael! Stop it right now!He was lanky, all long, gangly limbs, and legs that went on for miles. His black hair was on the longer side, still a bit wild, and my fingers wondered what it would feel like to touch it. Would it be silky soft?
And those eyes of his. Even the glasses couldn’t hide their beauty. Vibrant green, the lids tilted slightly at the corners, surrounded by long, thick lashes. Cat’s eyes.
I should have recognized he was related to Daphne as soon as I had walked into The Witch’s Brew. They had the same hair and distinct eyes.
Callum did a slow circle completely around me, looking for what I wasn’t sure. Feeling like a deer caught in headlights, I stayed completely still, as his heated gaze slid over me.
Standing in front of me, he held up one hand. “May I?”
Not sure what he was asking, all I could do was nod. There was something about Callum that I trusted. Thefact that he didn’t think I was losing my mind probably helped.
He placed one warm hand on my chest that was still moving up and down way too fast. Heat burned through the thick material of my black hoodie where his hand rested, shooting straight to my dick. After a few seconds, he removed his hand and I immediately missed his warmth. Until he took both of my hands in his, entwining our fingers together.
I wasn’t a hand holder. Never had been. But I held onto his hands like they were a lifeline.
He closed his eyes, not moving, and I wondered what he was doing. The only thing that kept me from questioning him was the slim hope that he might be able to help me. Finally, he stepped back, taking his hands with him. He blinked a few times, looking slightly dazed before his vision cleared.
“You’re not cursed,” he told me softly, holding my gaze and pushing his glasses up with one finger. “It’s a spell, nothing more. Not even that strong of one.”
“How can you know that?” I whispered, wanting to grab his hands back. Holding Callum’s hand had felt…like I had been missing something my entire life and I hadn’t even known it.
But I didn’t. I kept my hands at my side, where they belonged. Because my need for figuring out what absolutefuckery was wreaking havoc in my life, far outweighed my need for touching Callum.
